Regular Press Briefing of the Ministry of National Defense on December 15, 2025

On the afternoon of December 15, 2025, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, Deputy Director-General of the Information Office of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND, answers recent media queries concerning the military.

(The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

Journalist: Recently, China's Ministry of National Defense officially launched its overseas social media account. Some said this presented a more open, transparent, and confident image of China's armed forces. Please comment on that.

Jiang Bin: This is a historic moment—here we are. The launch of the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Ministry of National Defense gives overseas audiences a better access to information about the Chinese military. We will release information, share stories, and respond to public concerns in a timely manner, so as to help more people to learn about the real Chinese military in a vivid and comprehensive manner. We will continue to improve by listening attentively and engaging in sincere dialogues, so as to better serve as a bridge for communication and exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

Journalist: It was reported that the Chinese military recently organized the Constitution Awareness Week campaign under the theme of "learning, promoting and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and enhancing public awareness of the Constitution". Please tell us more about that.

Jiang Bin: The military takes enhancing awareness of the Constitution as an important opportunity to implement the strategy of governing the military in accordance with the law. We have taken solid measures to promote the Constitution Awareness Week in combination with the activities to study and implement the outcomes of the Central Conference on Law-based Governance. There are three highlights.

First, the campaign has a clear focus on learning and promoting Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law and President Xi's important speeches on governing the military in accordance with the law. It underscores the core tenets of governing the country and exercising state power in accordance with the Constitution, and promotes the provisions, principles, and spirit of the Constitution.

Second, the campaign has been guaranteed by strong organizational support. Efforts have been made to implement the Law on Publicity and Education of the Rule of Law, with many activities integrated into routine education and practice activities for cadres, as well as into theoretical training for officers. Particular emphasis was placed on the "critical few", including making the Constitution a key subject for Party committee theoretical study core groups, and implementing the system of mandatory legal knowledge lists for leading cadres and senior officers.

Third, solid efforts have been made to improve efficacy of the campaign. Legal experts were deployed to provide legal service to primary level units. Illustrated charts, cartoons, and short videos on the Constitution were produced and disseminated. Live lectures on the Constitution were broadcasted. Furthermore, the military continued to carry out legal service programs themed "legal service: safeguarding combat readiness and resolving soldiers' problems", which enhanced service personnels' sense of gain from the rule of law.

As the law stands firm above, so its education prevails below. The military will continue to uphold the spirit of the Constitution, safeguard its authority, promote its publicity and education with consistent and sustained efforts, and guide officers and soldiers to be its steadfast believers, conscientious followers, and firm defenders.

Journalist: It was reported that memorial activities were held across China on the 12th National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: This year marks the 80th year of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 88th year of the Nanjing Massacre. On December 13, 1937, Japanese aggressors invaded Nanjing and slaughtered 300,000 Chinese people, committing heinous crimes and making it one of the darkest pages in human history. These crimes could never be denied, and justice should never be desecrated. The Japanese side should deeply reflect on the atrocities it committed against peoples of Asian countries including China, and stop all wrong actions in distorting and whitewashing its history of aggression.

On this National Memorial Day, we mourned our fallen compatriots and honored the revolutionary martyrs, to demonstrate our strong commitment to remembering history and not losing track of the past, and to cherishing peace and creating a better future. The Chinese people and military will never allow the recurrence of historical tragedies. We will work together with peoples of regional countries to resolutely thwart the resurrection of the spectre of militarism, and jointly safeguard the hard-won peace.

Journalist: It was reported the Japanese side backtracked on what they previously said about the flight training of Chinese carrier-based aircraft, claiming that they received the Chinese side's notification beforehand, but didn't get sufficient information on the specifics, including the training duration and area, to avoid accidents. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: The facts of the incident are clear and the evidence is irrefutable. The Japanese side has no ground to defend or deny its wrongdoing. On December 6, PLANS 101 of the naval task group led by PLANS Liaoning notified the Japanese side that the task group would conduct carrier-based aircraft flight training, with Japanese Ship (JS) 116 confirming receipt of the message. Later on, PLANS 101 again notified the Japanese side that the training was expected to start from 1500 and last for about 6 hours, mainly to the south of the carrier, with JS 116 again confirming receipt of the message. Against this backdrop, Japanese fighter jets still intruded into the training zone multiple times to harass the Chinese side. Therefore, the Japanese side shall bear all the responsibility on endangering flight safety.

The Japanese side has once again lied to its own people and misled the international community by hyping up a regular military training of the Chinese side as a so-called security threat and portraying itself, the real provoker, as a victim. We therefore are entitled to ask the following questions: Is this an attempt by the Japanese side to divert attention from the severe consequences sparked by the erroneous remarks on Taiwan made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi? Is the Japanese side trying to use this incident to create excuses to break away from the post-war system, to loosen restrictions on its military development, and to revive the spectre of its militarist past? We strongly urge the Japanese side to squarely face up to the crux of the current difficulty in China-Japan relations, and earnestly reflect on and rectify its wrongdoings. Those despicable moves and political manipulation to evade the real issue, to divert attention, or to recriminate will never work.

Journalist: According to reports, the US has recently released a new version of its National Security Strategy, stating that it does not support any unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The National Defense Authorization Act approved by the US House of Representatives also contains a number of negative provisions related to Taiwan. In addition, at the Reagan National Defense Forum, the US Secretary of Defense said that the US intended to deploy military forces within the first island chain to deter any conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Please comment on that.

Jiang Bin: There is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China.This is an undeniable fact based on historic and jurisprudential evidences and it is the true status quo of the Taiwan Strait that should not be changed. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, which brooks no external interference. Any attempt to contain China with Taiwan will be futile. The US side should earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China–US Joint Communiqués, stop sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and stop fueling tensions across the Taiwan Strait. We hope that the US will recalibrate its strategic perception of China, work with China towards the same direction, stay committed to the principle of non-conflict and non-confrontation, and foster a stable and positive military-to-military relationship featuring equality, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. This will inject greater certainty and positive factors into the China–US relations and world peace and stability.

Journalist: It was reported that Lai Ching-te recently said the PLA would possess the capability to seize Taiwan by 2027, so Taiwan must be fully prepared for the worst possible scenarios, continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, safeguard regional peace, and deter wars by enhancing readiness. Please comment on that.

Jiang Bin: Lai Ching-te has repeatedly hyped up the so-called military threat from the mainland, deliberately escalating cross-Strait confrontation and antagonism. His so-called preparations are nothing but peddling war anxiety in all kinds of ways and creating excuses for his erroneous policy of provoking war through "Taiwan independence" schemes. The Lai Ching-te authorities' separatist provocations are the most malignant tumor harming and destroying Taiwan. Reunification across the Strait is the best choice to ensure Taiwan's lasting peace and stability. We hope our Taiwan compatriots see through the extreme danger and grave harm of the Lai Ching-te authorities' reckless attempts to seek independence by enhancing readiness, and resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, thereby ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as well as their security and well-being.