China protests as Japan calls Beijing its biggest strategic challenge

China lodged a serious diplomatic protest after Japan's latest defence white paper labelled Beijing its top security challenge and referenced Taiwan. The clash highlights worsening bilateral ties as Tokyo adopts a tougher regional security posture and Beijing pushes back on sovereignty issues.

In Short

• Tokyo approved a nearly 600-page security document outlining regional deterrence plans
• Beijing said comments on Taiwan and disputed islands violated sovereignty concerns
• Japan unveiled a 1,000-km anti-ship missile alongside the annual defence review

China has lodged what it called a serious diplomatic protest with Japan over Tokyo's latest defence white paper, which described Beijing as Japan's greatest strategic challenge and referred to Taiwan in a way China said interfered in its internal affairs. The exchange has further sharpened tensions between the two countries.

The nearly 600-page paper, approved by Japan's cabinet on Tuesday, said China's growing military actions are Japan's top security challenge and "must be addressed through overall national strength and cooperation with allies and like-minded nations". Around the same time, Japan also unveiled a new anti-ship missile with a range of about 1,000 km.

Responding on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jing said the white paper "once again targeted China with groundless accusations, rehashing the so-called 'China threat' and grossly interfering in China's internal affairs with brazen comments on China's Taiwan region". "We deplore and firmly reject this, and have lodged serious representations with Japan," he said while answering questions on the document.

Defending China's recurring military drills around Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, Lin said, "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affair. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and Japan is in no place to interfere." On the disputed islands in the East China Sea, he said, "Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands have been China's territory since ancient times."

The islands, called Senkaku by Japan and Diaoyu Dao by China, are controlled by Tokyo. The Chinese coast guard periodically conducts patrols around them to assert Beijing's sovereignty.

In his preface to the white paper, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said he hoped it would "deepen the public's understanding of Japan's defence and security, and serve as an opportunity for people to reflect on how security is linked to the future of every citizen". He wrote that "as the security environment rapidly intensifies, what is needed now is to enhance resilience to crises across the entire Indo-Pacific region", and pledged to build and expand "a multi-layered network of allies and like-minded nations, and increase interconnectivity in all aspects, including training, troop deployment, equipment and industrial infrastructure, to improve deterrence across the region".

Coinciding with the release of the white paper, Japan showcased its new anti-ship missile. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that the test brings Tokyo a step closer to fielding an indigenous family of long-range stand-off missiles that could be deployed from land, sea and air.

Tensions between China and Japan had already risen in November over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in parliament that a Taiwan contingency could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and may lead to action by the country's defence forces in support of the United States. China was angered by the remarks, and relations have remained tense since then. The white paper also said, "Stability around Taiwan is important for the international community, and our country needs to keep a close watch on the situation."

On nuclear weapons, the paper reiterated Japan's long-held three non-nuclear principles, saying Tokyo continues to adhere to them "as policy guidelines". Koizumi, however, has appeared to set the stage for a review of the decades-old pledge not to produce, possess or host nuclear arms, saying the debate over nuclear weapons is one "we cannot avoid".

The latest exchange underlines the strain in China-Japan ties, with Beijing rejecting Japan's assessment in the defence white paper and Tokyo pressing ahead with a sharper security posture amid what it describes as a worsening regional security environment.

With PTI Inputs

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