Premier Wen Jiabao will not meet with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda at next week's Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) in Laos, a senior Chinese diplomat said Wednesday, in a sign of reinforced pressure on Tokyo over the Diaoyu Islands row.

"As for Chinese and Japanese leaders meeting, there is no such arrangement," Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told a press briefing during Wen's trip.

According to Ma, on the sidelines of the ASEM, the premier will meet foreign leaders to discuss  bilateral ties and major issues of common concern.

Yang Bojiang, a professor with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times Wednesday that the arrangement is clearly in response to Japan's latest moves over the islets.

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba Tuesday maintained Tokyo's position that there is no sovereignty dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, which was slashed by China's foreign ministry as being "self-deceiving."

Meanwhile, Gemba Wednesday told a press conference that it is "premature" for a meeting to be held between Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers, Kyodo News reported.

The two foreign ministers last met during the UN general assembly in New York in late September, but failed to bridge their differences.

Since then, Sino-Japanese dialogues have remained only at the vice-minister level. However, AFP said the two sides are reportedly preparing a third round of talks on territorial disputes.

The tension also led to the freezing of Sino-Japanese military exchanges. 

China's defense ministry Tuesday confirmed to the Nandu Daily that it would not be sending officers to the upcoming Tokyo Defense Forum Wednesday.

According to Japanese media, the two militaries have also suspended a maritime consultation mechanism, and a program that promotes defense exchanges between Japanese and Chinese field officers.

The island dispute has hit the huge bilateral trade relationship. China's finance minister and central bank governor pulled out of IMF and World Bank meetings in Tokyo last month at the last minute.

"At the current juncture, Beijing should keep up the pressure exerted on Tokyo to push it to correct its wrongdoings," urged Yang.

AFP contributed to this story