China slams Japan for making islands 'hot topic'

China accused Japan today of distorting the facts over disputed islands in the East China Sea a month after a Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japanese patrol boats, sparking a major diplomatic row.

China accused Japan on Friday of distorting the facts over disputed islands in the East China Sea a month after a Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japanese patrol boats, sparking a major diplomatic row.

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Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue told reporters Friday that Japan was making untrue statements and turning the contested islands into a "hot topic" on the sidelines of an Asian regional summit.

China again asserted its sovereignty over the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Foreign ministers from Japan and China met earlier Friday in an attempt to mend fences over the dispute, which plunged diplomatic relations between the two nations to their lowest point in five years.

Maehara also said that Japan "repeated its position firmly" regarding the territorial issue over the islands. Last month, Japan arrested the Chinese fishing boat captain after the collision near the islands, enraging China, which called it an illegal action. Japan eventually released him, but tensions have remained high.

The incident has stoked anti-Japanese sentiment, with protests involving hundreds flaring in cities across China.