Islands 'purchase will hurt economic ties'

Anti-Japanese demonstrators shout slogans as they leave a Japanese restaurant in Beijing on Thursday after protesting over Tokyo's decision to "buy" the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Mark Ralston / Agence France-Presse

A senior trade official warned on Thursday that the Japanese government's so-called purchase of the Diaoyu Islands will "inevitably have a negative impact on China-Japan economic and trade ties", while Japanese-funded companies expressed concerns over tensions.