A Chinese defense spokesperson on Monday voiced firm opposition to a joint military exercise by Japan, the United States and Australia, warning that moves promoting Japan's military ambitions will drive the region into a perilous vortex.
Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press briefing when responding to a query concerning the "Orient Shield 26" exercise, which is being held in Japan from Sept. 8 to 24.
This exercise is packaged as a "shield," but in reality it amounts to the forward deployment of strategic offensive weapons. It not only undermines other countries' legitimate security interests, but also heightens the risk of an arms race and military confrontation, and seriously threatens regional security and stability, Jiang said.
Japan, as a defeated country of World War II, is prohibited from obtaining offensive weapons by the Potsdam Proclamation and Japan's pacifist constitution itself.
However, in recent years, the country has continuously broken the constraints and its exclusively defense-oriented policy, vigorously developed long-range offensive weapons, and leveraged joint exercises with foreign countries to accelerate its "remilitarization," the spokesperson noted.
"Any move that fuels Japan's military ambitions will only push the region into a dangerous vortex and will inevitably bring harm to those involved," Jiang warned.
China urges relevant countries to respect other nations' security concerns, correct their wrong practices, and play a positive role in regional peace and stability with concrete actions, Jiang added.
