(Up) Activists set sail from Hong Kong on August 12 for the Diaoyu Islands to assertChinese sovereignty (CFP)

Chinese activists land on the Diaoyu Islands on August 15 (CFP)

China on August 15 lodged solemn representations with Japan on the latter's illegal detention of Chinese nationals who went to the Diaoyu Islands.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying urgently summoned the Japanese Ambassador to China Uichiro Niwa and made a phone call to her Japanese counterpart, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, to discuss the matter.

Fu reiterated China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and the affiliated islets, and demanded the Japanese side guarantee the safety of the 14 Chinese citizens and free them immediately.

Earlier that day, police in Okinawa Prefecture arrested a group of 14 Chinese activists, including seven who landed on the Diaoyu Islands.