China accuses Japan defence minister of 'baseless' claims

“China accused Japan's defence minister yesterday of spreading 'baseless' claims and sowing confusion, a day after he took a veiled swipe at Beijing. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi had pledged on Sunday to keep strengthening Japan's military and warned China was expanding its capabilities without sufficient transparency. His comments follow a months-long diplomatic spat between the Asian rivals, which began when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attempted to seize Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. China's foreign ministry said yesterday that Koizumi's comments were 'entirely baseless'. 'They appear pale and feeble in the face of a series of historical and legal facts and figures,' ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing. 'This Japanese official deliberately... attempts to turn the tables and sow confusion,' Lin said. 'Japan's so-called dialogue is nothing but hypocrisy — a performance put on for appearances, devoid of any genuine sincerity,' he added. Under Takaichi, Japan has quickened its pivot towards a more proactive defence policy, further shaking off — with US encouragement — a pacifist outlook, which has been in place since the end of World War II. Koizumi made his comments at the annual IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, saying China's expanding military capabilities were 'a matter of serious concern for Japan'. Tokyo would 'steadily build up its defence capabilities and make continuous updates with a high degree of transparency', including in the fields of artificial intelligence, uncrewed systems as well as cyber and space defence, he said. Beijing has frequently rebuked Tokyo for its pivot and said following a reckless policy of 'new militarism' that could destabilise the region.

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