China on Thursday rejected a Japanese lawyer's indictment, based on a judicial panel's decision, against a Chinese captain involved in a collision with two Japanese patrol boats in the East China Sea in 2010.

"I would like to reiterate that the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets have been inherent parts of the Chinese territory since ancient times, on which China owns indisputable sovereignty," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a routine press briefing.

The Japanese side is not entitled to carry out any "official business" in the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands, he said.

"And any form of so-called judiciary procedures taken by the Japanese side against Chinese citizens is unlawful and invalid," said Liu.

A judicial panel of Japan's Naha District has voted for the mandatory indictment of Zhan Qixiong, the 42-year-old Chinese skipper who, along with his crew and boat, was seized by Japan after the collision and returned after repeated Chinese representations.

"Japan's actions during the event have caused severe damage to Sino-Japanese ties," Liu said, urging the Japanese side to act in a way that is conducive to strengthening relations between the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2012)