BEIJING - China on Wednesday urged the Japanese side to respect facts and teach the young generation with correct historical views.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the remarks at a daily press briefing, responding to a reporter's question on Japan's new curriculum guidelines involving China's Diaoyu Islands.

Geng said that the Diaoyu Island and its adjacent islets are inherent Chinese territory and China has firm determination and will to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.
"No matter what it does or says, the Japanese side cannot change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China," said Geng.

"China urges the Japanese side to respect historical facts, cease provocative behavior, teach the young generation with correct historical views, and show its sincerity in improving Sino-Japanese relations with concrete actions," Geng said.

Japan's education ministry on Tuesday released a draft of new curriculum guidelines which require elementary and junior high schools to teach that China's Diaoyu Islands and a group of disputed islands currently under the control of the Republic of Korea, are "inherent" territory of Japan.