The Chinese and Japanese ambassadors to the UK appeared on BBC's Newsnight to discuss the rising tensions between China and Japan since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's appearance at the Yasukuni Shrine last month.

Although the two ambassadors were both in the same studio, they sat apart from each other and were interviewed separately by the host, Jeremy Paxman.

China's ambassador to the UK repeatedly condemned Abe's visit to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, saying it is a "very serious issue."

Liu said Abe's visit is not a small matter and it concerns how Japan faces up to its history of aggression. "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it," Liu said, quoting former British prime minister Winston Churchill.

The two sides' long-standing territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands was also raised.

The Japanese ambassador Keiichi Hayashi said Japan acquired the islands peacefully and lawfully in the 19th century, accusing China of trying to change the status quo by force and coercion.

Liu restated the Diaoyu Islands have been part of China's territory since ancient times.

The Chinese ambassador said Japan illegally seized these islands after China lost a war with Japan in 1895, but according to the Cairo Declaration in World War II, all territories seized illegally by Japan should be returned to China.

Global Times