China defends military activities in Sea of Japan
China has defended its military maneuvers in the Sea of Japan in response to a recent warning by Japan against increasing military activities in the waters.
Japan had said in its annual defense review on Tuesday that the number of incidents in which it scrambled jets to monitor Chinese aircraft in the area had hit a record as of March this year. Tokyo also expressed concern that Chinese naval and aerial activities in the Sea of Japan could further increase.
Chinese Air Force Commander Ma Xiaotian reacted on Thursday by saying that “the Sea of Japan is not Japan’s sea.”
“We must carry out drills at sea. China’s air force cannot simply guard on land and not go out,” Ma said. “But (activities) in the Sea of Japan are still not that many. What they have said is a bit of an exaggeration.”
China and Japan also dispute territory in the East China Sea, claiming sovereignty over a group of tiny, uninhabited islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Japan says China is pushing to extend its military influence in the East China Sea and the western Pacific.
China is also engaged in disputes with some of its other neighbors over territory in the South China Sea.
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