China's Maritime Expansion Big Worry for the World, Says Japan
Japan says its concerns over China's military buildup in the South and East China Seas are shared by many other countries. The issue is expected to be discussed at upcoming talks between the two countries, says a report in Reuters.
"Honestly speaking, not only the Japanese people but also states of the Asia-Pacific region and the international community have big worries," Kishida said.
China has shown a "fast-paced and opaque increase in military spending, and unilateral actions to change the status quo in the East and South China seas."
Ties between China and Japan, the world’s second- and third-largest economies, have long been plagued by a territorial dispute, regional rivalry and the legacy of Japan’s World War Two aggression.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about $5 trillion (£3.46 trillion) in trade is shipped every year.
Beijing, meanwhile, has opposed Tokyo’s “interference” in the South China Sea issue, urging Japan, which is not a claimant in the dispute, to refrain from entering the debate.
China will establish an outpost on Scarborough Shoal, 230 kilometres (143 miles) off the Philippine coast, the South China Morning Post newspaper cited an unnamed source close to the People’s Liberation Army as saying.
February 2024
