BEIJING, Feb. 24 -- China hopes Russia and Japan can properly resolve their territory dispute through dialog, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday.

"The outcome of World War II should be respected and protected," Hua said at a regular news briefing.

Earlier, Toshihiro Aiki, a Japanese official, said that "not all the results of WWII have been summed up," and that the territorial issue between the two countries needs to be addressed.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed "sincere regret" later in a statement, saying the Japanese side had "distorted historical facts."

Russia and Japan have long been at odds over four disputed Pacific islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, which has hindered a peace treaty between the two countries since the end of WWII.