Analysts said Tokyo's political stance toward China's Diaoyu Islands will cast a shadow over relations between China and Japan, as Beijing vowed to protect its sovereignty and slammed Tokyo's plan to "nationalise" the islands.

"China's holy territory is not 'up for sale' to anyone," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in response to remarks Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made on Saturday.

Noda said his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalise" part of the Diaoyu Islands.

"The Chinese government will continue to take measures needed to resolutely safeguard the sovereign rights of the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets," Liu said on Saturday, reiterating that China has indisputable historical and jurisprudential evidence to prove the islands and adjacent islets have been Chinese territory since ancient times.

Noda's remarks on Saturday shed light on the Japanese government's plans toward the islands. In April, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara initiated a campaign to buy the islands, eliciting protests from Beijing.

"This year marks the 40th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral diplomatic relations, and ties between China and Japan seem to be complicated on a deeper level," the Mainichi Shimbun, a leading Japanese daily newspaper, said in an articleyesterday.

Mainichi also warned that "nationalisation" will lead to Chinese countermeasures.

In mid-May, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told Noda to "respect China's core interests and major concerns" as he reiterated China's stance on the islands.

Gao Hong, a Japanese studies researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Noda cabinet's decision on Saturday will ratchet up tensions between the two countries and set back their relations.

"This plan may affect things such as economic cooperation and bilateral public opinion, as well as geological politics," Gao said, estimating China may seek to strengthen patrols in the waters concerned to protect its sovereignty over the islands.

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Islands' stance could raise tensions between China, Japan