Chinese official urges caution to US on Diaoyu Islands issue

BEIJING - Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Friday urged the United States to correctly understand the Diaoyu Islands issue and be cautious with words and deeds.

While meeting with visiting US senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse, Yang stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the Diaoyu Island and their affiliated islets, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

McCain said that the United States does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands, which was different from his controversial remarks in Japan on Wednesday.

A Kyodo report quoted McCain as saying on Wednesday that the islands as "Japanese territory" and China is violating Japan's fundamental right to the islands at a news conference in Tokyo.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki reiterated at a press briefing on Thursday that the United States does not take a position on the underlying question of the ultimate sovereignty of the islands.

On China-US relations, Yang told McCain and Whitehouse that the two sides should continue to work together to implement the important consensus between President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama to build a new type of major country relationship based on mutual respect and cooperation.

The development of China-US relations is not only in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples but also in line with expectations of people of the world, Yang said, noting that bilateral exchanges and cooperation have seen positive progress since the summit between Xi and Obama in California in June.

McCain said he supports enhanced communication and coordination between the two sides to push forward cooperation in bilateral, regional and international fields.