BEIJING, March 16 -- "Japan should earnestly learn from history, and speak and act cautiously in military security field", said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, on Thursday.
Senior Colonel Tan made the remarks when asked by the media to comment on a Japanese politician's irresponsible remarks about China's defense budget. The spokesperson of Japan's Ministry of Defense recently clamored that China's defense budget has been growing at a high rate for a long time, causing serious concern for Japan and the international community, and that Japan would urge China to improve the transparency of its defense policy and military affairs.
To refute such unreasonable accusations, Senior Colonel Tan noted that China is committed to the path of peaceful development and follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's defense expenditure is open and transparent within a reasonable and appropriate level.
The spokesperson said that the Chinese military is a staunch force in safeguarding world peace and stability and serving to build a community with a shared future for mankind. All these facts are widely recognized in the international community. Some people in Japan made irresponsible remarks, which are either subjective and false, or not fact-based and driven by ulterior motives.
The spokesperson also stressed that China's limited defense expenditure is solely for safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and for safeguarding world and regional peace and stability. Japan, on the other hand, has been playing up the so-called "external threat" in recent years, has substantially increased its defense budget, and has kept developing and purchasing advanced offensive weapons, resulting in regional tensions.
The spokesperson reiterated that Japan's tendency to resume the path of militarization is very dangerous and deserves high vigilance from the international community and countries in the region. China urges the Japanese side to learn from history, act cautiously in the field of military security and stop doing things that undermine regional peace and stability.
