China dismisses Japan's claims on military activities

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China dismisses Japan's claims on military activities

(Xinhua) 08:34, November 01, 2013

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BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China said on Thursday that Japan should get accustomed to China's reasonable and legitimate military activities rather than making groundless accusations, as it has done recently.

Japan has repeatedly tried to create an atmosphere of war, making baseless accusations against the Chinese military's activities while having to acknowledge that these activities are not against international laws, Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a regular news briefing.

Yang's comments came after Japanese Defense Minister Onodera Itsunori reportedly accused China on Tuesday of having "intruded" in the waters around the Diaoyu Islands, called the Senkaku Islands by Japan.

Japanese media reported that Onodera said that the intrusions by China in the territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands endanger peace and fall in the 'gray zone' between peacetime and an emergency situation.

Reiterating that the Diaoyu Islands are China's inherent territory, Yang said China will only protect these islands rather than invade them.

According to the spokesman, the facts about the Diaoyu Islands are clear and it is Japan that really jeopardizes peace.

"Japan should change this distorted mentality, place themselves in a correct place and get used to the reasonable and legitimate military activities of other countries," Yang said. "Otherwise, they will only indulge in self-pity and self-fulfilling wording like 'gray zone'."

Four China Coast Guard vessels, which enforce maritime law for fisheries, surveillance, customs and border control, patrolled territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Monday, according to a State Oceanic Administration statement.

Japan attempts to make excuses for boosting its military buildup by playing up the so-called Chinese military threat. Japan has "a precedent" in history for developing military power by telling lies and invaded other countries, a situation on which Japan yet to do any deep soul-searching, Yang told the news briefing.

He said the international community and neighboring countries should be highly alert toward what the country does.

Japan's remarks "confound black and white and show its over-confidence, seeking to confront other countries and purposely challenge post-World War II international order," according to Yang.

"How can such a country be accepted by neighbors and the international community, let alone play a leading role in Asia," the spokesman asked, responding to Japanese leader's relevant remarks.