Chinese defense ministry denounces certain countries' military coercion, expansion

BEIJING -- A Chinese defense spokesperson on Friday urged certain countries to cease using bilateral alliance treaties for military coercion against a third country.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry regarding the United States' recent comments on the US-Japan alliance and security issues involving the Taiwan Strait and the Diaoyu Island.

China has always advocated that defense and security cooperations between certain countries should not target a third country, nor should they undermine regional peace and stability, Zhang said.

Zhang stressed that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times.

Whatever the United States and Japan say and whatever they do cannot alter these absolute facts or shake China's strong resolve and will to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zhang said.

While responding to another media inquiry regarding Japan's record-hitting military budget for the 2024 fiscal year, Zhang said Japan should stop heading down the path of military expansion.

Over recent years, Japan has relentlessly breached its pacifist constitution and its exclusively defense-oriented policy, Zhang noted.

By hyping up so-called threats from neighboring countries, Japan has substantially increased its military expenditure and gone further down the expansionist path, Zhang said, adding that this poses a grave challenge to regional peace and stability as well as to the post-WWII international order.

The Chinese side calls on Japan to faithfully draw its lesson from history, and contribute to regional peace and stability, not the other way round, Zhang said.