Hua Chunying at the new briefing on Oct. 19, 2016 [Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

China said on Wednesday that it is irresponsible for Japan to pressurize the UNESCO by withholding its dues and its attempts will not succeed.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson with the Foreign Ministry, made the comments at a routine news briefing.

Japan is reportedly holding back more than 40 million U.S. dollars it owes to the UNESCO after documents relating to the Nanjing Massacre were included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2015.

The Nanjing Massacre is a heinous crime the Japanese militarists committed during the World War II and a historical fact recognized by the international community, Hua said.

The inclusion of the documents to Memory of the World Register proves that they fully comply with the UNESCO's evaluation criteria, Hua said. "This will give full play to the positive role of the documents in helping remember history, cherish peace and safeguard human dignity."

The files show the atrocities of Japanese invaders in China, who killed 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers from Dec. 13, 1937 to Jan. 1938.

It is the duty of member states to pay membership fees to international organizations, Hua said, adding that Japan's words and behavior, once again, exposed its unwillingness to face up to history. "It is irresponsible for Japan to pressurize the UNESCO by withholding its dues and its attempts will not succeed."