Chinese military reacts angrily to Japan swelling defence force

Tokyo deal for naval destroyers, drones and jet fighters described as aggression harking back to cold war mentality

Japanese naval ships, pictured in 2008. China slammed Tokyo's plan to beef up its military presence in the region. Photograph: Junji Kurokawa/AP

The Chinese army has criticised Japan's plans to increase defence spending, accusing Tokyo of raising regional tensions under the pretext of safeguarding national security.

Geng Yansheng, a spokesman for China's ministry of defence said in a statement posted on Saturday on the ministry website that it resolutely opposes the five-year defence plan.

Under the arrangement adopted on Tuesday, Japan would purchase its first surveillance drones, as well as more jet fighters and naval destroyers, and set up a unit of marines.

China's strongly worded statement reflects the increasingly hawkish stance taken by its military amid a bitter dispute with Japan over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea.

Geng accused Japan of maintaining a cold-war mentality that runs counter to the trends of peaceful development, co-operation and mutual benefit.

Geng said that on the one hand, Japan claimed that it respects freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but on the other hand, it repeatedly denied its history of aggression during the second world war, challenged the postwar international order and hurt the feeling of the people of the war-victim countries.

"As a nation that can not reflect on its history, what qualification does Japan have to speak about freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law? How can the country make contributions to the world peace?" he said.

"Japan has on the one hand claimed to strengthen international co-ordination, safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and make efforts to ensure security and prosperity of the international community, but on the other hand it sticks to the cold war mentality and beefed up military alliances with relevant countries."

Geng also accused Japan of trying to woo other countries to create regional confrontation and enflame the regional situation.

The Guardian

Vietnam, Japan protest the moves occupying the sea by military force

Jan. 17, 2013- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung on Wednesday Jan 16, 2013 have agreed to strengthen bilateral security relations in the context of China's aggressive increasingly.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung review the guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Abe is in Vietnam for a two-day visit, the first leg of his three-nation Asian tour.

Abe is in Hanoi on the first oversea trip to South East Asia since he took office last month.

The Japanese Kyodo news agency quoted Deputy Chief of Japanese Cabinet Hiroshige Seko said that the two Prime Ministers reaffirmed the standpoint that protest all moves to "use arm forces to change the current relationship" in the South China Sea.

It sounds that Mr. Seko mentions about tensions over sovereignty in the South China Sea between China with Vietnam and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the latest news received from Xinhua, China's maritime patrol 21 vessel on Monday, Jan 16 has come to Woody Island (known as Phu Lam Island in Vietnam) in the Paracel Islands.

The sailing of the vessel, purposes for testing of communication equipments, will end on Jan 19 with a total journey of about 600 nautical miles.

Mr Nguyen Tan Dung said, after talking with Prime Minister Abe, that the leaders of the two countries share the point of view that disputes and issues in the Asia-Pacific needs to be resolved “through peaceful negotiations on the basis of international law”.

Mr. Abe, was quoted, said that Tokyo and Hanoi also face the common challenges in the region and economic support in the role of partner.

Japan is currently training officers of Vietnam Marine Police.

Prime Minister Abe also said Japan will continue to promote political and security cooperation with Vietnam.

However, Mr Shinzo Abe told their Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung that Japan considers its relationship with China is "one of the most important bilateral relationship" and Tokyo will strive to maintain and enhance dialogue with Beijing to keep economic relations, which are experiencing stressful around the sovereignty dispute in the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

BBC Vietnamese