China denies change of thought towards Japan despite first casual chat between leaders

China has clarified that its diplomatic position towards Japan remains unchanged over the disputed Senkaku Islands, even if top leaders of the two nations exchanged a few words on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei warned Japan to correctly deal with the disputed islets amid strained relations between the two nations, the Japan Times reports.

China has insisted that Japan needs to be more sincere in resolving the territorial dispute that exists over the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

There has been no formal summit between Asia's two biggest economies since May 2012.

The statement came after President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Russia for about five minutes.

Tokyo bought three islands from their private Japanese owner last year, which further strained its ties with Beijing.

Since then, Chinese vessels have been sailing in and out of the territorial waters around the Senkaku islands, prompting fears of an accidental clash with Japan.