Disputes between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands and the East China Sea should be solved through negotiation and consultation, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan in Beijing on February 3.

"It is indisputable that the Diaoyu Islands and its subsidiary islets have been China's territories since ancient times," Kong told a regular press conference. Japan holds different views on this issue.

Kong said China has always maintained that the dispute should be addressed through negotiation and consultation between the two sides, and no unilateral action should be taken.

China and Japan also have disputes on boundary demarcation in the East China Sea. Kong said China holds its own position and views on this issue, and exercises its own power according to this views.

"Meanwhile, China also shows restraint and never takes any unilateral action in regions under dispute," Kong said.