Foreign and Military Affairs

China decries Japanese claims of military threat

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-04-27 21:06

BEIJING - China refuted rumors of a Chinese military threat that have been stirred up by misleading reports in Japanese media, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said in Beijing on Wednesday.

Geng's remark came in response to the China Security Report released by the Japanese Defense Ministry, as well as concerns voiced by Japanese Defense Minister Kitazawa Toshimi over the increasing size of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy.

"The past few years has seen some progress in China-Japan defense exchanges, yet a series of serious obstacles still remain, " said Geng, adding that one significant obstacle is the playing-up of China's military development by a small number of people and media in Japan.

According to Geng, false reporting has misled the Japanese people and undermined the foundation of non-governmental friendship.

"We hope that both sides remove these obstacles, deepen understanding, build up mutual trust and continue with defense exchanges in various fields," said Geng.