China urges Japan to stop hyping up "China threat": spokesperson

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- China urges Japan to stop hyping up the "China threat" rhetoric and refrain from seeking pretexts for military expansion, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, urging the Japanese side to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community through concrete actions.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a recent report released by a think tank of the Japanese Defense Ministry, which claimed that China has enhanced its armaments and that future confrontation between China, Russia and the United States will intensify. The report also claimed the Japanese side needs to strengthen its defense capabilities in order to prevent China from changing the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

Noting that China is committed to the path of peaceful development and that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference, Wang said the think tank report makes reckless comments on China's internal affairs, military modernization and China's relations with other countries, and the relevant remarks are irresponsible and untenable.

Wang stressed that due to historical reasons, Japan's military and security activities have been closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. Japan's increasing defense spending and pursuit of developing offensive weapons in recent years have raised significant concerns among its neighbors and the international community, he added.

"We urge Japan to earnestly respect the security concerns of neighboring countries, deeply reflect on its history of aggression, stop hyping up the 'China threat' narrative to find pretexts for military expansion, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the wider international community through concrete actions," Wang said.