China hits back after Abe comments on sending forces to S.China Sea
November 20, 2015, 12:46 pm

People shout slogans and hold placards saying “we won’t let Japan go to wars” during a protest against Abe cabinet’s policy to ease the limit of the country’s pacifist Constitution in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 4, 2014 [Xinhua]

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei made the remarks at a routine press briefing in response to a question regarding Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s latest comments on the South China Sea issue.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told President Barack Obama Tokyo will consider sending the country’s maritime forces to back up US operations in the South China Sea.

Abe held bilateral talks with Obama on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Manila on Thursday.

Tokyo has no claims in the waterway.

“China firmly safeguards navigation freedom of various countries in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws,” Chinese spokesperson Hong said, dismissing allegations that were problems with “navigational freedom” in this region.

“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,” the Chinese spokesperson added.

China claims about 90 per cent of the South China Sea.

Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe’s policies, including increasing the defense budget, lifting a ban on arms exports, visiting a shrine that memorialises Japan’s war dead, along with convicted World War II criminals and reinterpreting the pacifist constitution to allow Japan to defend other countries, have sparked concern in China and South Korea.

At the end of China’s war against Japanese aggression and World War II, China had recovered islands in the South China Sea that had been occupied by Japan during the war, Hong said in Beijing.

He urged Japan to “reflect on its history”.

China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, led to the death of some 20 million Chinese, according to Beijing’s estimates. It ended with Tokyo’s World War II defeat in 1945.

According to official Chinese data, the South China Sea covers 3.55 million square km.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations lay contesting claims to these waters.

China exercises jurisdiction over about 2 million square km of the maritime territory.

China has also cast aspersions on US moves to “provoke” tension by supporting its regional allies, Vietnam and the Philippines. Earlier last year, Washington partially lifted its arms embargo on Vietnam, a move intended to bolster Hanoi’s confidence in its dealings with China.

TBP and Agencies