China reacts to the military agreement between Japan and the United Kingdom that will allow the deployment of troops in both territories

Published:

Jan 11, 2023 18:54 GMT

“Asia-Pacific is an anchor for peace and development, not a battlefield for geopolitical competition,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed.

China urged the British and Japanese authorities not to invent “imaginary enemies” in the Asia-Pacific region. so it advertisement the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, in relation to the military agreement that Tokyo and London will sign this Wednesday, which will allow the deployment of troops in both territories.

“Asia-Pacific is an anchor for peace and development, not a battlefield for geopolitical competition. China is a cooperation partner for all countries and represents no challenge to anyone,” the spokesman said this day in a news conference.

“Defense cooperation between relevant countries [Japón y Reino Unido] it should lead to enhancing mutual understanding, trust and cooperation between states,” he observed. “It should not target any imaginary enemy, let alone replicate the outdated mentality of bloc confrontation [en la región]”, he emphasized.

The treaty, to be signed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, will allow both forces to plan and carry out larger-scale and more complex military exercises and deployments. Sunak’s Office assured that it is the “most important defense agreement between the two countries in more than a century”.

“This Reciprocal Access Agreement is of enormous importance to our two nations. It strengthens our commitment to the Indo-Pacific and underlines our joint efforts to boost the economy of security,” said the British president.

Last October Japan and Australia signed a similar security cooperation treaty aimed at countering Chinese military might and maritime expansion in the Indo-Pacific.