China hits back at Japan's threat claims

The accusations against China in Japan's newly released annual defense white paper were fabrications intended to justify its own military expansion, a Chinese defense ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in a statement in response to the white paper Defense of Japan 2025, which continued to label China as an "unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge".

The report also falsely accuses China of "intensifying unilateral changes to the status quo by force" and made negative comments regarding the Taiwan question.

The spokesman said that Japan is exaggerating the "China threat" and wantonly interfering in China's internal affairs, noting that the country expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the remarks and lodged stern representations with Japan.

"Japanese militarism once brought severe disasters to China and its Asian neighbors," he emphasized, criticizing Japan for not reflecting seriously on its own past aggressions, engaging in the dangerous trend of military expansion and significantly increasing its defense budget.

Japan is continually loosening restrictions on arms exports, forming small military circles for bloc confrontation and occasionally suggesting modifications to its Three Non-Nuclear Principles, he said.

These actions severely violate Japan's Constitution and the principle of exclusive defense, seriously undermine the postwar international order and pose significant challenges to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, the spokesman said, stressing that Japan's behavior has raised high vigilance and deep concern among Asian neighbors and the international community.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's recovery from Japanese occupation, Jiang said.

He underlined that Taiwan's return to China in 1945 was an important moment in the victory achieved in World War II and the postwar international order.

"We urge Japan to deeply learn from historical lessons and stop smearing and accusing China," he said.

Jiang added that Japan should earnestly adhere to the four Sino-Japanese political documents and its commitments on the Taiwan question, and take concrete actions to promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-Japanese relations.

Also on Wednesday, Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, summoned Yokochi Akira, chief minister of the Embassy of Japan in China, to lodge a stern representation over the erroneous and negative statements concerning China in the white paper.