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| Japan's criticism of Chinese activities near disputed East China Sea islets echoes similar comments made by the United States, and comes as tension in the region increases (File photo by=Emily Wang/AP) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Japan’s annual defence review accuses China of furthering its territorial claims in the East China Sea and is more strongly worded than in previous years, analysts said, highlighting how Beijing has become a longer-term and more serious threat than volatile and nuclear-armed North Korea.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government on Tuesday approved a white paper that said, among other things, China was “continuing to attempt to alter the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea” and was spreading disinformation while providing medical aid to countries hit hard by Covid-19.The white paper described “relentless” intrusions by Chinese ships – despite protests by Japan in waters around a group of islets claimed by both nations in the East China Sea, known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China.
It also referred to China’s unilateral creation of two administrative districts in the South China Sea, in which Beijing has overlapping claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan. Beijing insists its intentions in the waterway, where about US$3 trillion of global trade passes each year, are peaceful.
