Japan's "purchase" of part of the Diaoyu Islands has had the most severe repercussions on China-Japan relations since the normalization 40 years ago, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said Friday.

Zhang told reporters that there had been no dispute over the islands until Japan illegally occupied them in 1895.

The Diaoyu Islands are part of China's territory in accordance with historical fact and law, Zhang said.

Zhang said China and Japan agreed to put the issue aside and seek a final solution in the future in 1972, when bilateral diplomatic relations were normalized.

The Japanese government announced that it would "purchase" part of the Diaoyu Islands on Sept. 11 despite repeated opposition by China. Endi