BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry Friday accused Japan of creating tensions over the Diaoyu Islands, running against the trend of solving disputes through talks.

"The Japanese side has continued to take negative acts on the Diaoyu Islands issue for a period of time, and organized its Self Defense Force planes to interrupt Chinese planes' normal flights," Hong Lei said at a daily press briefing here.

"Such moves, which highlight military implications and create tensions, go against the trend that all the nations in the region should peacefully solve conflicts through talks," Hong said.

He noted that China and Japan have "maintained contact on the issue," and that China holds a firm stance on safeguarding territorial sovereignty.

"We hope the Japanese side can exercise sincerity with calmness, work for shared goals with China, and thus find ways to properly solve and manage problems through consultations," the spokesman said.

Relations between Japan and China have soured since the Japanese government said it would "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea in 2012. China insists that the islands are part of its inherent territory.