Japan urged to cease interfering in China-Russia joint maritime patrols

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Monday urged Japan to cease interfering in China-Russia joint maritime patrols that do not target any third party.

Wu Qian, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a question regarding the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's tracking and monitoring of China-Russia joint maritime patrol vessels.

The Chinese and Russian armed forces carried out joint maritime patrols in designated waters in the western and northern Pacific Ocean following their annual cooperation agenda. These patrols do not target any third party and are irrelevant to current global or regional situations, Wu said.

During the patrols, vessels of the two militaries strictly abided by international laws and sailed in high seas throughout their voyages, he added.

The Japanese side's interfering moves are perilous and could easily lead to misjudgments and accidents, Wu added.

"We urge the Japanese side to stop meaningless interference and refrain from irresponsible words and deeds that harm the healthy China-Japan bilateral ties and undermine regional peace and stability," Wu said.

He also noted that cooperation between Chinese and Russian troops is conducted in an open and transparent manner and aims to jointly safeguard international justice and uphold peace and security.