Kuomintang (KMT) vice chairman Chiang Hsiao-yen said Friday in Ganzhou, east China's Jiangxi Province, that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China and "the entire Chinese people."

Chiang said he made this statement on behalf of the KMT.

The Diaoyu Islands had been China's territory throughout history and belonged to people across the Taiwan Strait, he said at the opening of a two-day seminar on economic and trade cooperation between Jiangxi and Taiwan, attended by more than 500 Taiwan businessmen.

"If any problems occurred to the Diaoyu Islands, the KMT would stand up to safeguard the integrity of the Chinese territory. This is our stance and principle," he said.

Chiang said achievements in cross-Strait exchanges should be cherished and the cooperation should move forward.