Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang delivered a stern rebuke to Japan yesterday, refuting claims that China poses a threat to neighbouring countries.

Qin said accusing remarks by Democratic Party of Japan President Seiji Maehara, who said China is a practical threat and urged Beijing to increase military transparency, is groundless.

"We are always seeking development along a peaceful path."

He noted that China hopes Japanese Government and public figures to make contribution to improve a bilateral friendship.

Qin said in a news conference that China adheres to peaceful development and a defensive national defence policy. He added that its military expenditure should not only cover the livelihood and training expenses of those serving in the army but also meet the country's current national defence requirements in a world with numerous complicated changes.

Qin then made a comparison between the total and per capita military expenses of the two neighbours. China's military expenses reached US$25.6 billion last year while Japan reportedly spends 1.62 times of this amount. In per capita expense, China is only US$23, compared to Japan's US$2,300.

"Japan has only 4 per cent of China's land area and one-tenth of China's population. But they has such a huge military expenditure. What are Japan's motives?" Qin asked.

Maehara, 43, made his first diplomatic mission with a weeklong visit to the United States on December 6, and touched down in Beijing on Sunday for a three-day visit.

As a guest of International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Maehara had already held talks with State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and the Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo.

It is reported that Maehara has asked China to arrange for him to meet Chinese top leaders to discuss the Yasukuni Shrine and other pending issues in an attempt to play a role in mending ties between Tokyo and Beijing.

He is also reportedly expected to propose a specific plan to extend Japan's technological co-operation in the fields of energy-saving and new energy sources to help China resolve increasingly serious air pollution and other environmental problems.

Maehara also made a speech titled "Sino-Japanese relations are the basis for peace and stability of Asia" at a forum of the China Foreign Affairs University on Monday and has criticized his prime minister's visit to the war time Yasukuni Shrine, which has emerged as the biggest source of tension between Japan and its Asian neighbours.

In another development, Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday said sour ties between China and Japan still lingered because the Japanese leaders failed to correctly face up to the historical issue by repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Wen made the remarks in Kuala Lumpur when attending the first East Asia Summit, saying the key to the issue is that Japanese leaders must go with the trend of the world, take history as a mirror, face up to the future and take practical actions so as not to disturb and undermine the Sino-Japanese relationship.

Editor: Yan