The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has urged Japan to properly handle the issue of the illegal detention of Chinese nationals who went to the Diaoyu Islands.
On Thursday, MOC spokesman Shen Danyang said China was highly concerned about the issue.
Japan detained 14 Chinese nationals from Hong Kong, who went to Diaoyu Islands Wednesday afternoon, to assert China's sovereignty claim over the islands.
Shen said: "This year marks the 40th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese ties. China hopes Japan can make concrete efforts to create a good environment for the sound development of bilateral economic and trade relationships and advance the development of the strategic and mutually beneficial relations."
On Wednesday, China's Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying reiterated China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets, and demanded the Japanese guarantee the safety of the Chinese citizens and free them immediately without any conditions.
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