China: Japan Bare Its Teeth

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said today that “Japan’s new militarism has bared its fangs,” adding that “the international community must exercise the utmost vigilance,” in response to comments by Japan’s defense minister calling for unrestricted discussions on Japan’s nuclear policy.

This comes as the Japanese Ministry of Defense reported that a Chinese warship fired live ammunition in an area it considers part of its exclusive economic zone during joint exercises with Russia. Beijing denied the claim, asserting that the maneuvers took place in international waters. Lin argued that Tokyo is “playing the card of external threat” to justify its accelerated rearmament.

In a related development, Lin accused the Philippine military of deliberately provoking incidents in the South China Sea, noting that personnel aboard an illegally anchored Philippine vessel had hostilely harassed a small patrol boat belonging to the Chinese Coast Guard near the Ren’ai Jiao area, which he affirmed is Chinese territory.