BEIJING, December 16. /TASS/. Tokyo’s plan to ramp up its military might under the pretext of the so-called Chinese threat is bound to fail, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a briefing on Friday commenting on the Japanese government approving an updated national security strategy.
"[Japan’s] attempts to find an excuse to beef up and expand its armed forces by inflating the Chinese threat won’t be successful," the diplomat said.
According to him, China has always supported peace and stability both in the Asia-Pacific region and worldwide. He also noted that Japan deviates from adhering to bilateral relations and consensus between Beijing and Tokyo. "Japan is unjustly slandering China which we resolutely protest," the spokesman said.
He also urged the Japanese government to respect security concerns of neighboring countries as well as exercise caution in words and deeds in that sphere.
On Friday, the Japanese government led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approved its updated national security strategy, a foundational document of the country’s defense policy which in the next few years will determine Japan’s course towards actively bolstering its defensive potential. It is expected that the updated strategy, in particular, will include Japan’s right to deliver counterstrikes on an adversary’s territory if attacked as well as a goal of doubling defense spending by 2027 to 2% of GDP following NATO’s example. Additionally, the Japanese cabinet of ministers intends to label China’s military activity as a challenge to the world order.