UNITED NATIONS - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Tuesday met with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba upon the latter's request and reiterated China's solemn position on the issue of Diaoyu Islands, which have been China's sacred territory since ancient times.

During the meeting, Yang pointed out that regardless of China's stern representations and strong opposition, the Japanese side insisted on implementing the so-called "nationalization" of China's Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands.

The Japanese move is a gross violation of China's territorial integrity and sovereignty, an outright denial of the outcomes of victory of the world anti-fascist war and a grave challenge to the post-war international order, he said.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the General Debate of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, which opened here on Tuesday morning.

Special Coverage: Diaoyu Islands belong to China