China on Friday made strong representations with Japan over its prime minister Shinzo Abe's comments that characterized Beijing as having a "deeply ingrained" need to challenge neighbors over territory.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with the Japanese leader's comments that distort facts, attack and defame China and stir up confrontations between the two countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily press briefing on Friday.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Abe said China has a "deeply ingrained" need to spar with Japan and other Asian neighbors over territory, because the ruling Communist Party of China uses the disputes to maintain strong domestic support.

Abe began a visit to the United States on Thursday, the same day on which his comments were published in The Washington Post.