::::::	China asserts territorial claim to Diaoyu islands
::::::	Chinese FM: Proposal on East China Sea issue "rational, constructive"
::::::	Chinese protest against Tokyo's move on islands
::::::	China opposes Japan's unilateral action on Diaoyu Islands

    BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government Friday lodged a strong protest against Japan's latest revision of a batch of new senior middle school textbooks regarding the Diaoyu Islands.

    The Chinese Foreign Ministry official in charge of Asian Affairs summoned the Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Friday to protest the revision that claimed the Diaoyu Islands as Japanese territory, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said.

    "The Diaoyu and surrounding islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times. China holds indisputable legal evidence of ownership," the official said.

    Japan completed its annual review of school textbooks on Wednesday after ordering publishers to state more clearly Tokyo's claim to certain territories including the Diaoyu islands.

    The official said the Japanese move constituted an obvious infringement upon China's territorial sovereignty.

    "Any unilateral action by the Japanese side on the Diaoyu Islands is illegal and invalid, " the official said, calling for Japan to take China's position and concerns into account and promptly correct the erroneous decision and actions. Enditem