BEIJING: China on Monday urged Japan to stop interfering in China-Russia joint maritime patrol and cease its irresponsible words and deeds that hinder the healthy development of China-Japan relations and undermine regional peace and stability.
The remarks were made by Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press briefing.
Chinese and Russian naval vessels held their third joint maritime patrol in the western and northern waters of the Pacific Ocean recently. It was reported that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force sent ships and aircraft to track the Chinese and Russian naval vessels as they sailed through the Soya Strait to the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers claimed in a statement that China-Russia naval patrol near Alaska were “meant to intimidate” the U.S.
In response, Wu said that the patrol, planned in line with annual cooperation between the Chinese and Russian armed forces, does not aim at third parties and has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation.
The Chinese and Russian vessels have navigated on the high seas throughout the patrol with strict adherence to international law, said Wu, who warned that close tracking and surveillance by the Japanese side is extremely dangerous and could easily lead to miscalculations and accidents.
Noting that cooperation between the Chinese and Russian forces is open and transparent, which aims at defending international justice and maintaining regional and global security and stability, Wu said that this is completely different from the approach of some countries that adhere to the Cold War mentality, and engage in bloc confrontation and hegemony and bullying. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
