Beijing warned Tokyo of a harsh response if it ever crossed a
“red line” in deciding to sail with US warships near disputed waters
surrounding China’s artificially reclaimed islands under the pretext of
the Freedom of Navigation principle, Japanese media reported.
The warning to Japan
reportedly came just ahead of the Hague international arbitration
court’s ruling over the disputed South China Sea islands which Beijing
continues to claim, despite a verdict which stripped China of the
disputed territory.
Tokyo will “cross a red line” if Japan’s Self-Defense Forces
sail with the Americans, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua
allegedly told a Japanese official in Tokyo, Kyodo reported citing a
source.
Japan should not take part in a “joint military action
with US forces that is aimed at excluding China in the South China Sea,”
Cheng is reported to have told Japanese officials late in June. “(China) will not concede on sovereignty issues and is not afraid of military provocations.”
According
to the source, the official reassured the ambassador that Japan had no
plans to join the US sails, which have intensified lately by constant
American warship maneuvering near artificial islands that China has
built in the South China Sea.
Freedom of Navigation (FON) has been
part of an American policy under the Law of the Sea (LOS) Convention to
exercise its navigation and overflight rights and freedoms since 1983.
China has repeatedly warned against such provocations.
The tense
diplomatic exchange took place amid another territorial dispute between
China and Japan over the Tokyo-administered Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands
which China claims as their own.
Earlier this week, Japanese media
reported that China continues to expand military infrastructure next to
the disputed waters, erecting a military pier on Nanji Island, one of
52 islands in the Nanji chain that are part of China’s Zhejiang
Province.
To counter the perceived Chinese threat, Tokyo is
seeking a record defense budget of 5.16 trillion yen ($51 billion) for
next year to strengthen the Japanese coast guard near the disputed
waters with China. Part of the funding will also be spent on
neutralizing the North Korean threat by deploying PAC-3 missile defense
system and the joint Japanese-US production of the Block IIA version of
the Standard Missile-3 system. Japan also seeks to purchase an upgraded
version of the F-35 stealth fighter.
Meanwhile, Beijing has
finished long-range combat drill in the Sea of Japan with its East China
Sea Fleet by launching simulated attacks to improve the capability of
continuous strikes at maximum range, CCTV reported.
The exercise also included air force simulation of air-to-ship missile
launches against enemy vessels. The Chinese navy called the drill
“routine” and in accordance with international law.
Tensions in the area were heightened even further when four Chinese
coastguard ships sailed into territorial waters surrounding the disputed
islands in the East China Sea on Sunday morning. The Japanese foreign
Ministry responded by issuing a note of protest against the “incursion” and the violation of Japanese sovereignty.
“Despite
Japan’s repeated strong protests, the Chinese side has continued to
take unilateral actions that raise tensions on the ground, and that is
absolutely unacceptable,” the statement said.
It is reported
that since the beginning of the month, Japan lodged at least 32 protests
over about 30 intrusions by Chinese vessels in the territorial waters.
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