BEIJING, Oct. 27 -- For some time, the Japanese side has deliberately hyped up China-related issues like the Taiwan question, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, and played up the so-called "China military threat", which is ulterior and irresponsible, said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on Thursday.
According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, the Japanese government is considering revising its National Security Strategy by the end of 2022, which will mention that "no unilateral change of the status quo by force will be tolerated" over Taiwan, and may introduce policies highlighting the "free and open Indo-Pacific" concept and the "Quad" framework involving Japan, the US, Australia and India.
In response to that, Spokesperson Tan said, both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and Taiwan is a part of China. The Japanese side made solemn commitments in the China-Japan Joint Declaration fifty years ago. The Government of Japan recognizes that Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. The Government of the People's Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China. The Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Postsdam Proclamation.
Snr. Col. Tan stressed that Japan should abide by the basic norms of international relations, and fulfill its serious political commitments to China, instead of interfering in the Taiwan question. It must be noted that in recent years Japan has been keen on following up the other countries' policies of containing China, and has established targeted "cliques" in the name of freedom and opening up. These moves have gone against the common expectations of regional countries for peace, development and cooperation.
The spokesperson mentioned that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations. The Japanese side should review its original aspiration and walk toward China to implement the important consensus of "being each other’s cooperative partners, not a threat", so as to promote bilateral relations along the right track. “We urge the Japanese side to take history as a mirror, act cautiously in the field of military security, and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs, undermining China’s security interests, or undermining regional security and stability,” he added.