CHINA’S defense minister has urged preparations for a “people’s war at sea” to counter offshore security threats and safeguard sovereignty.
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Chang told the reception on Sunday that China would firmly safeguard its “state sovereignty, national security and development interests”.
Japan has no territorial claims in the South China Sea, but it fears that Chinese military bases will bolster Beijing’s influence over a region through which $5 trillion in trade passes every year, much of it to and from Japanese ports.
Chang is also seeking to promote national defense education to the general public.
Japan’s Defence White Paper comes amid heightened tension in Asia less than a month after an arbitration court in the Hague invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the disputed South China Sea, in a case brought by the Philippines.
China is fighting The Hague court ruling against its South China Sea build-up with threats to Vietnam and the Philippines and warnings against fishing in the South China Sea, where China claims most of the resource-rich waters.
People who illegally entered Chinese territorial waters and refused to leave after being driven out, or who re-entered after being driven away or being fined in the past year, would be considered to have committed “serious” criminal acts and could get up to a year in jail, the Supreme Court said.
Also in the paper, Japan stressed the necessity of enhancing the alliance between Tokyo and Washington, as well as its autonomy in the partnership, and entertained the feasibility of conducting multilateral security cooperation with the United States, Australia and India in the area that covers the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
Increasing activity in the East China Sea also prompted Japan to scramble against Chinese warplanes more than 570 times previous year.
The country has asked the Philippines to solve the territorial issue bilaterally. “First, the U.S. has so many military vessels that can take turns to enter and leave upon being driven away, without violating China’s laws”.
In the 480-page document, some 30 pages are devoted to irresponsible remarks on China’s national defence and China’s normal and legal maritime activities in the East and South China Seas, he said.
Smaller countries aligned with the US rely on the sea for food and economic sustenance, including the Philippines, which brought suit against China, and Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) on Tuesday issued a regulation of judicial interpretation to clarify China’s jurisdiction over its territorial seas, reports Xinhua.
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China today lodged a diplomatic protest with Japan accusing it of “deceiving” global community and stiring up trouble with its neighbours, a day after a Japanese defence white paper attacked Beijing for muscle-flexing in the disputed East and South China seas.
