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| Image: Flickr User - Official U.S. Navy Page |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
Abe says Japan would consider patrols in the South China Sea, China isn’t too happy about the suggestion.
China will remain on “high alert for intervention by Japan in the South China Sea issue” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told Xinhua today, urging Japan to reflect on its past aggression during the Second World War.
The Chinese statement was issued in response to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s remarks to U.S. President Barack Obama during a bilateral meeting at this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila that Japan would consider sending the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) on patrols in the South China Sea.
“China firmly safeguards navigation freedom of various countries in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said. “In the meantime, China is strongly against any country using the excuse of navigation and overflight freedom to engage in activities threatening the sovereignty and security of other nations, and facilitating regional militarization.”
On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that “with regard to activity by the Self-Defense Forces in the South China Sea, I will consider it while focusing on what effect the situation has on Japan’s security.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat