Foreign ministry protests Japan's defense report

Beijing is strongly dissatisfied with Tokyo's defense white paper that is "full of groundless accusations" about China's normal military activities, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday.

The white paper, ratified by the Japanese Cabinet on Tuesday, took more words on China than Japan's other neighboring countries, such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia. It said that China's military acts could cause "unintended consequences" in the region.

Hua condemned these accusations as irresponsible and groundless.

"Based on International Law and national defense needs, China has full rights to conduct various activities on its own territory, including waters and airspace," Hua said.

The spokeswoman pointed out that through "mixing black with white" on regional security issues, Japan wanted to exaggerate security threats to make excuses for its own military expansion.

"We urge that Japan should learn from the lesson of history, stick to the path of peaceful development, be cautious in military security areas, and do more to boost mutual trust with neighboring countries and maintain regional peace and stability," she said.

Zhang Yaozhong contributed to this story.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn