BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) — China on Friday said it remained on high alert for intervention by Japan in the South China Sea issue, especially the country’s military return to the region.
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.
According to reports, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Abe told U.S. President Barack Obama that Tokyo will consider dispatching its Self-Defense Forces to assist U.S. operations in the South China Sea.
“China firmly safeguards navigation freedom of various countries in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws,” Hong said, adding there are no problems with navigation 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 spokesperson added.
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.
He urged Japan to reflect on its history.