China today lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan accusing it of "deceiving" international community and stiring up trouble with its neighbours, a day after a Japanese defence white paper attacked Beijing for muscle-flexing in the disputed East and South China seas.
"China is strongly dissatisfied with Japan's 2016 defence white paper over its groundless accusations against China's defence development and military activities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.
China made solemn representations (diplomatic protests) to Japan over the irresponsible white paper, she said .
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In its statement the Chinese Defence Ministry expressed strong opposition to the Japanese 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 defence work, heightening issues in the South China Sea and the East China Sea," Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said in a statement.
"Filled with hostility to the Chinese military, it stirs up trouble between China and its neighbours, and attempts to deceive the international community, " Wu said.
The Defence paper released in Tokyo yesterday expressed Japan's heightened concern over China's muscle-flexing in the East and South China seas.
This year's white paper adopted a more critical tone against Beijing's maritime activities and militarisation of the disputed waters compared with the previous report, Japanese news agency, Kyodo reported.
Japan has no right to make carping comments on China's legitimate activities near Diaoyu Islands, Hua said, stressing that China's determination to safeguard territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests is "unshakable.
She noted that China's navy and air force activities are in line with international law, domestic law as well as national defence needs.
She said China will not accept the "award" of the South China Sea arbitration initiated unilaterally by the Philippines, adding that China will continue to work for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea through bilateral negotiation between countries directly concerned on the basis of respect for historical facts.
Hua blamed Japan for fabricating excuses for military expansion through stirring up enmity on regional security.
She asked Japan to earnestly learn from history, stick to a peaceful development path, act prudently in the military field and gain trust from its neighbours instead of undermining regional stability.
Wu 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 defence and China's normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas, he said.
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 jeopardises 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 Defence 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 asked Japan to create conditions for improved China-Japan ties through concrete action.
Tensions between the two countries were on the rise in the last three years over the disputed island in the East China Sea.
The uninhabited islands called Senkakus by Japan and Diaoyus by China believed to be rich with oil and mineral resources were under the administrative control of Tokyo.
China has stepped up its claims by sending its coast guard ships and fighter aircraft on regular patrols often resulting in close encounters with the Japanese defence fleet and aircraft.
China is also angry with Japan over Tokyo joining the US and Australia in calling for the implementation of the last month's international tribunal verdict on the disputed South China Sea quashing China's expansive claims over the area. China has rejected the award.
Japan released its first white paper on defence in 1970 and has compiled a new version each year since 1976.
