China says no talks over Senkaku islands unless Japan accepts dispute exists

China has said it is ready to talk to Japan over the disputed Senkaku islands, but only if Tokyo declares the islands to be in dispute.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed Japan for the current tensions, which in September 2012 effectively nationalized the Senkaku Islands, claimed as Diaoyu by China.

Wang said at the Brookings Institution that in spite of all this, China is still ready to sit down and have a dialogue with Japan to work out jointly a way to manage the current situation.

He said but first Japan needs to recognize that there is such a dispute, adding that one day Japan will come back to the table of dialogue, the Japan Times rports.

According to the report, Japan, which has exerted control over the islands since the late 1800s and denies their sovereignty is in dispute, contends that China has no historical basis to claim them.