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1st Ld-Writethru: China opposes Japan's defense white paper: defense ministry

Xinhua, August 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Chinese Defense Ministry on Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Japan's 2016 defense white paper, calling the annual document hostile to the Chinese military and deceptive to the international community.

"The white paper issued on August 2, full of hackneyed expressions, distorts China's justified and reasonable defense work, heightening issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement.

"Filled with hostility to the Chinese military, it stirs up trouble between China and its neighbors, and attempts to deceive the international community, " Wu said.

He said the Chinese military has lodged solemn representations with Japan over the white paper.

In the 480-page document, some 30 pages are devoted to irresponsible remarks on China's national defense and China's normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas.

On the South China Sea issue, Wu said Japan was attempting to cause trouble for its own benefit.

"What we want to remind Japan is that freedom of navigation has never been a problem in the South China Sea, while interference by Japan and other non-regional countries jeopardizes peace and stability in the region," Wu said.

On the East China Sea issue, Wu said the Diaoyu Islands are part of China. He said Japan has hyped up repeatedly the so-called "abnormally close encounter" of Chinese and Japanese military aircraft, but claimed that the video released by the Chinese Defense Ministry in June 2014 clearly showed who was at fault.

As for the accusations in the white paper of increased Chinese military activity near the Diaoyu Islands, Wu said what the Chinese military did was entirely in line with the islands belonging to China.

He said Japan's ultimate purpose was large-scale changes to its military policy, increased arms and a revision of its pacifist constitution.

He urged Japan to create conditions for improved China-Japan ties through concrete action.

Japan released its first white paper on defense in 1970 and has compiled a new version each year since 1976. Endi