Japan's attempt to deny China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands by ignoring historical fact is a one-sided wish, a senior Chinese official said in Moscow?Friday, urging Tokyo to start serious talks with Beijing.

Japan's denial of the consensus reached by the leaders of older generations of the two countries to "put aside the disputes" over the islands is an act of disregarding historical fact, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said at a press conference.

He made the comment in response to a question that some Japanese high-level officials recently rejected the existence of such a consensus.

The leaders of older generations of China and Japan acknowledged the existence of the disputes, but they believed that the two countries should at that time focus on the normalization of bilateral relations, said Cui, citing files he read when he was Chinese ambassador to Japan.

The leaders held that the normalization of bilateral relations should not be held up by the territorial disputes that could not be solved for the time being, Cui said.

Thanks to the wisdom and vision of the leaders of older generations, China-Japan relations have enjoyed 40 years of development, the Chinese vice foreign minister said.

Japan's current move of making provocations and denying the existence of the disputes will not only harm bilateral relations, but also hurt Tokyo's long-term interests, Cui warned, adding Japan's attempt is a one-sided wish and destined to failure.

Japan should face up to the historical fact and the reality, and hold serious talks with China to find a solution, he said.

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