Latest news with #EastChinaSea
South China Morning Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Taiwan tensions may heighten as Beijing boosts military activities: Japan defence report
Tensions over Taiwan may heighten, Japan's defence minister said on Tuesday as he presented an annual defence white paper that again singled out Beijing as Tokyo's ' greatest strategic challenge '. Advertisement Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani named China in the opening paragraphs of the report, declaring Beijing's military activities to be an 'unprecedented' challenge that Japan must counter through national strength and alliances with partner countries. It was the third consecutive year that the report used the designation. The white paper highlighted China's sweeping and rapid modernisation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), particularly in nuclear, missile, naval and air capabilities, over the past three decades. 'China has been swiftly increasing its national defence expenditures, thereby extensively and rapidly enhancing its military capability in a qualitative and quantitative manner, and intensifying its activities in the East China Sea, including around the Senkaku Islands and the Pacific,' Nakatani said, adding that PLA operations now extended beyond the first island chain into the second. The Senkaku Islands are known as the Diaoyus in China. Advertisement The report warned specifically of increased Chinese military and coastguard activity, including nearby manoeuvres by warships and aircraft, which Tokyo believed could 'seriously impact Japan's security'. The report also noted heightened PLA activity around Taiwan, citing frequent military exercises in nearby waters and airspace. It suggested Beijing was trying to create a 'fait accompli' by normalising its military presence in the region while building its combat strength.
CNA
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Japan says China's military activities could 'seriously impact' its security
TOKYO: Japan said on Tuesday (Jul 15) that China's intensifying military activities could "seriously impact" its security, citing the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace in an annual threat assessment. The defence ministry said in its white paper that China was ramping up its activities in the entire region surrounding Japan. A Chinese military aircraft entered Japan's airspace in August last year, it said. Then, in September, a Chinese aircraft carrier and two other naval ships sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan. Beijing's military "created a situation that could seriously impact Japan's security", the paper said. It repeated its comment from last year's paper that China's military ambitions pose "an unprecedented and (the) greatest strategic challenge" to Japan and the world. Beijing responded by saying the paper "hypes up the so-called China threat". "China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this and has lodged solemn representations with Japan," China's foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. Tokyo said last week that Chinese fighter jets flew within 30m of a Japanese military patrol aircraft over the East China Sea. Last year, Chinese vessels sailed near the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands - known as the Diaoyu in China - a record 355 times, according to Tokyo. And last month, Japan said that two Chinese aircraft carriers sailed in the Pacific simultaneously for the first time, including in Japan's economic waters. China called it "routine training". Beijing has also conducted joint drills with Russia which are "clearly intended as a demonstration of force against Japan", the paper said. It repeated that North Korea's activities pose a "more grave and imminent threat to Japan's national security than ever before". The white paper was approved by the cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday. JAPAN BOOSTS DEFENCE SPENDING Japan is in a multi-year process of increasing its defence spending. It is bolstering its military ties with Washington - and other regional United States allies - to make US and Japanese forces nimbler in response to threats such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Pentagon is pressing Japan and Australia to make clear what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Elbridge Colby, US under-secretary of defence for policy, has been pushing the issue in meetings with Japanese and Australian defence officials in recent months, the FT said. Colby said that President Donald Trump's "common sense agenda" included "urging allies to step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence". "Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations," Colby wrote on X.
Free Malaysia Today
15-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Japan says China's military activities could ‘seriously impact' its security
A Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber was sighted by the Japan Air Self-Defence Force over the East China Sea. (Japan Ministry of Defense/AP pic) TOKYO : Japan said Tuesday that China's intensifying military activities could 'seriously impact' its security, citing the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace in an annual threat assessment. The defence ministry said in its white paper that China was ramping up its activities in the entire region surrounding Japan. A Chinese military aircraft entered Japan's airspace in August last year, it said. Then in September, a Chinese aircraft carrier and two other naval ships sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan. Beijing's military 'created a situation that could seriously impact Japan's security,' the paper said, repeating earlier comments that China's actions were of 'grave concern'. It repeated its comment from last year's paper that China's military ambitions pose 'an unprecedented and (the) greatest strategic challenge' to Japan and the world. Tokyo said last week that Chinese fighter jets flew within 30m (100 feet) of a Japanese military patrol aircraft over the East China Sea. Last year, Chinese vessels sailed near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands – known as the Diaoyu in China – a record 355 times, according to Tokyo. And last month Japan said that two Chinese aircraft carriers sailed in the Pacific simultaneously for the first time, including in Japan's economic waters. China called it 'routine training'. Beijing has also conducted joint drills with Russia which are 'clearly intended as a demonstration of force against Japan', the paper said. It repeated that North Korea's activities pose a 'more grave and imminent threat to Japan's national security than ever before'. The white paper was approved by the cabinet of prime minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday morning. Japan is in a multi-year process of increasing its defence spending to the Nato standard of roughly 2% of gross domestic product (GDP). It is bolstering its military ties with Washington – and other regional US allies – to make US and Japanese forces nimbler in response to threats such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Pentagon is pressing Japan and Australia to make clear what role they would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Elbridge Colby, US under-secretary of defence for policy, has been pushing the issue in meetings with Japanese and Australian defence officials in recent months, the FT said. Colby said on X that president Donald Trump's 'common sense agenda' included 'urging allies to step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence'. 'Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations,' Colby added. The issue also forms part of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington on a trade deal to avert 25% tariffs on Japanese imports due from Aug 1.
NHK
13-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
Beijing says Japan at fault for warplane nearing Japanese aircraft
A spokesperson for China's defense ministry has defended a Chinese military plane's behavior toward a Japanese aircraft in two separate cases that Japan says happened days before. The spokesperson on Sunday commented on Japan's announcement that a Chinese fighter bomber flew unusually close to an Air Self-Defense Force intelligence-gathering aircraft. Japan says the incidents took place over the high seas in the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. The spokesperson said the Japanese aircraft had engaged in repeated close-in surveillance efforts in China's air defense identification zone. The spokesperson argued that the Chinese aircraft took measures to track and monitor the Japanese aircraft in accordance with the law. He explained that the Chinese response was entirely legitimate and reasonable. He added that close-in reconnaissance and harassment by Japanese vessels and aircraft are sources of maritime and air security risks between the two countries. Last month, Japan announced that a Chinese fighter jet flew abnormally close to a Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft over the Pacific Ocean on June 7 and 8. Japan expressed serious concerns to China over the June and July incidents and strongly urged it to ensure such actions do not recur. Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Malaysia on Thursday. Iwaya expressed concern over what Japan called the deteriorating situation in the seas and airspace around the country.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China and Japan trade barbs after latest close encounter between warplanes
China and Japan have traded accusations after a series of close encounters between their warplanes last week. On Sunday the Chinese defence ministry accused Japanese reconnaissance aircraft of 'repeatedly' entering China's air defence identification zone in the East China Sea. The comments followed a Japanese statement issued three days earlier that accused a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber of making 'unusual approaches' towards a Japanese YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft. on Wednesday and Thursday. 'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' the Japanese defence ministry said. However, Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the defence ministry in Beijing, said Chinese forces had 'lawfully identified, tracked and monitored' Japanese aircraft in a 'legitimate, reasonable, professional and standard' manner. 'Japanese ships and aircrafts' close-in reconnaissance and harassment of the Chinese side are the root cause of China-Japan maritime and air security risks,' he said.
