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The islands are known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu
China has rejected an offer from the US to host three-way talks with Japan over the future of a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the dispute involved only two nations, not the US.
The idea was suggested by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during a regional summit in Vietnam last week.
Tensions have been high since the Japanese detained a Chinese trawler captain near the islands in September.
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The islands - known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu - are controlled by Japan, but claimed by China.
They are close to key shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to have oil deposits.
"I want to emphasise that this is only a US idea," China's foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
Ongoing disputesGas fields: The countries argue over gas exploration rights in the East China SeaDisputed islands: Both countries claim ownership of Senkaku/Diaoyu islandsYasukuni Shrine: Memorial to Japan's war dead which China sees as glorifying war criminalsQ&A: China-Japan islands row
"It must be pointed out that the Diaoyu islands are Chinese territory, and the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu islands is the business of the two nations only," the statement said.
"The United States has many times said that US-Japan security treaties can apply to the Diaoyu islands. This is totally wrong.
"The US side should immediately correct this mistaken position," he added.
Hillary Clinton met her Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, in Hanoi last week and offered the three-way talks.
The diplomatic spat between China and Japan flared up again, hours after an apparently friendly bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations summit last week.
Beijing accused Tokyo of distorting facts over September's collision between two Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese trawler.
The incident has brought relations between China and Japan to their lowest point for years, analysts say.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
The islands are known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu China has rejected an offer from the US to host three-way talks with Japan over the future of a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the dispute involved only two nations, not the US.
The idea was suggested by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during a regional summit in Vietnam last week.
Tensions have been high since the Japanese detained a Chinese trawler captain near the islands in September.
Related stories
The islands - known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu - are controlled by Japan, but claimed by China.
They are close to key shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to have oil deposits.
"I want to emphasise that this is only a US idea," China's foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement.
Ongoing disputesGas fields: The countries argue over gas exploration rights in the East China SeaDisputed islands: Both countries claim ownership of Senkaku/Diaoyu islandsYasukuni Shrine: Memorial to Japan's war dead which China sees as glorifying war criminalsQ&A: China-Japan islands row
"It must be pointed out that the Diaoyu islands are Chinese territory, and the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu islands is the business of the two nations only," the statement said.
"The United States has many times said that US-Japan security treaties can apply to the Diaoyu islands. This is totally wrong.
"The US side should immediately correct this mistaken position," he added.
Hillary Clinton met her Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, in Hanoi last week and offered the three-way talks.
The diplomatic spat between China and Japan flared up again, hours after an apparently friendly bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations summit last week.
Beijing accused Tokyo of distorting facts over September's collision between two Japanese patrol boats and a Chinese trawler.
The incident has brought relations between China and Japan to their lowest point for years, analysts say.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.