The Chinese say the document denigrates their government’s military policy. The Japanese point to an increase in military spending of 2% of GDP. Kishida Administration: The Russian Attack On Ukraine May Become A Precedent For Chinese Aggression Against Taiwan.
Beijing () – The official Chinese protests against the White Paper on defense published yesterday by the Japanese government were immediate. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the document “hurls accusations and denigrates China’s military policy, its market development and its legitimate maritime activities.”
Tokyo points to Beijing’s “intimidation” of Taiwan, the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the vulnerability of the global supply chain in the technological field as growing threats to its national security.
The Chinese consider that Japan is exaggerating the alleged threat from China and interfering in their internal affairs regarding the status of Taiwan, a way to justify their military build-up plans. The White Paper explains that Japan intends to increase its defense budget to 2% of GDP primarily to develop its counter-attack capabilities.
The Government of Fumio Kishida stresses that it fears an expansion of military ties between Beijing and Moscow as a result of the Ukrainian conflict. Tokyo has aligned itself with the United States and Europe in condemning and punishing Russian aggression. For the Japanese, the Kremlin’s move is a blatant violation of international law that risks setting a precedent, encouraging armed action against Taiwan, which China considers a “rogue” province that must be reconquered.
Japan and China maintain a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu for the Chinese) in the East China Sea, which many analysts see in the future as a possible theater of armed confrontation between the two countries.
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