China's Defense Ministry responded on Thursday to media reports that a Chinese military airplane recently entered Japanese territorial airspace by saying that both sides were maintaining communication through diplomatic channels.

The ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing.

This week, Japan's Ministry of Defense said that a Chinese military aircraft entered the airspace near its southwestern islands on Monday.

"Both China and Japan are maintaining communication through diplomatic channels regarding this matter," Wu said, stressing that China always respects the sovereignty of all nations.

"I hope that this incident will not be over-interpreted," he said.