China warns Japan not to act as NATO ‘vanguard’
Liu Caiyu, Global Times, July 12, 2024 —
China urged Japan to play a constructive role in maintaining and promoting peace, stability, development, and not act as a “vanguard” of NATO’s Asia-Pacific expansion, following Japan’s new defense white paper, which delivers its strongest words yet on Taiwan island.
Observers said that such narratives smearing China expose Japan’s real intention to demonize the Taiwan question and incite regional tension, serving to pave the way for its further introduction of NATO into the Asia-Pacific and its own aggressive defense policy of playing a more robust role in East Asian security.
Tokyo brought up Taiwan for the first time in its defense white paper in 2021, and has since increased the emphasis on this topic in the following years. In the latest version, Japan even cited China’s recent military exercises around Taiwan island as part of “Beijing’s invasion strategy” for the first time, Japan Times reported.
China expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the white paper, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian telling Friday’s press briefing that “it gravely interferes in China’s internal affairs, again seeks to play up the “China threat” narrative, and hypes up regional tensions.”
Lin emphasized that China’s national defense policy is defensive in nature, and said China’s defense development and military activities are legitimate and justified. Our joint patrols with other countries are consistent with international law and customary international practice.
The Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair that brooks no external interference. In recent years, the root cause of the cross-Strait tensions has been “Taiwan independence” separatists’ reckless activities emboldened and supported by external forces, Lin said.
Describing Beijing’s justified reunification efforts with Taiwan as an invasion shows Japan’s real intention of provoking regional tensions and demonizing the Taiwan question, serving to pave the way for its further introduction of NATO into the Asia-Pacific, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.