BEIJING -- China's holy territory is not allowed "to be purchased" by anyone, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda admitted his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalize" part of the "Senkaku Islands" (China's Diaoyu Islands).

"The Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the sovereign rights of the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets," Liu said.

"The Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets have been inherent parts of Chinese territory since ancient times, and China has indisputable historical and jurisprudential evidence for this, " said the spokesman.