Chinese Foreign Ministry Archives

To counter China, US Marines in Japan are to be repurposed

January 11, 2023

The days of Japan’s checkbook diplomacy are over. The Japanese already said they are upping defense spending to 2% of GDP, which will make it the third largest military budget in the world. Now, the Japanese are finding new ways to strengthen military ties with the West.

After World War II, the Japanese relied on America’s military for protection. That’s changing. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is meeting with President Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week, to bolster military ties in an almost NATO-like fashion.

It’s all a coordinated effort to counter China’s increasingly aggressive posturing in the region. Japan sees China’s ambition to reunite with Taiwan as a threat to its own national interests.

Japan is coordinating with the U.S. to repurpose, and in some cases reposition, the Marine Corps regiment based in Okinawa. In what’s being called one of the most significant advances in U.S. force posture in the region, the Marines will be divided into “Marine Littoral Regiments” of around 2000 troops. These units will be armed with missiles and drones.

The units will perform reconnaissance from some of the many islands surrounding Okinawa, and will also serve as a strike force in contested maritime theaters. China has the world’s largest navy, and it’s still growing. So, the ability to target Chinese vessels sailing through disputed territories is seen as a deterrent to potential Chinese attacks.

Japan’s adoption of a counter-strike defensive mindset means being able to hit mainland China as well. So the Japanese are investing in the development of their own long-range missiles. In the meantime, the U.S. is selling Japan tomahawks cruise missiles to fill that gap.

The Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the Marine regiment reinforces Japan’s status as “by far the most important ally in preparing for a Taiwan crisis.”

The Chinese foreign ministry said “U.S.-Japan military cooperation should not harm the interests of any third party or undermine peace and stability in the region.”

Reuters contributed to this report.
WHO tells China to provide ‘realistic’ COVID-19 data at meeting

January 3, 2023

The World Heath Organization was set to meet with Chinese officials Tuesday, where the WHO was expecting China to present detailed data on viral sequencing related to COVID-19. China was also asked to share data on hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations at Tuesday’s meeting, which is not open to the public or media. The request from the WHO is the latest move the organization has taken to get a “more realistic picture” about the current spread of COVID-19 in China.

“The WHO is very concerned over the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last month. “In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for ICU support.”

Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in China after the country lifted its “zero-COVID” curbs last month. The extent of the COVID-19 surge is unclear, with a Dutch virologist on the WHO committee calling some of the data out of China “not very credible.”

“It is in the interests of China itself to come forward with more reliable information,” Professor Marion Koopmans told Reuters ahead of the meeting. “Right now, what we are getting is very patchy, but that has been the reality in other parts of the world as well.”

China state media downplayed the surge ahead of the meeting, citing Chinese experts as saying the illness caused by the virus was relatively mild for most people. The country’s foreign ministry also blasted travel entry curbs that have been placed by some countries on Chinese travelers in recent weeks.

“The entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting China lacks scientific basis and some excessive practices are even more unacceptable,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday. “We are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the COVID-19 measures for political purposes and will take countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity.”

Reuters contributed to this report.
Japan wants Tomahawk missiles, calls China biggest security threat

December 16, 2022

Since 1956, Japan’s military has served strictly in a self-defense capacity. In fact, it’s called the Self-Defense Force, or SDF. This week though, Japan took the first step to develop something it hasn’t had in a generation, first strike capabilities.

On Friday, Japan adopted a new national security strategy, and named China as the biggest challenge to ensuring Japan’s peace, safety and stability. Japan is upping its defense spending to 2% of GDP, bringing it in line with the NATO standard. Part of that spending will fund the deployment of foreign-developed standoff missiles, which will give Japan the ability to preemptively strike its enemies if threatened.

Japan thinks Lockheed Martin’s Tomahawk and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles should do the job. Details of the purchase are still being worked out, but Japan thinks the standoff missile batteries could be in place across the country by 2026.

For decades, Japan prioritized economic growth over defense spending, which is seen as a sensitive subject in the region given the atrocities Japan committed during World War II. However, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made increasing defense spending a priority when he took office in 2021.

Given China’s recent aggressive posturing toward Taiwan, coupled with a series of missile launches from China and North Korea, and now many Japanese citizens are also in favor of increased military spending.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said hyping up the “so-called China threat” as an excuse to build up Japan’s military “is an exercise doomed to fail.”

While Japan announced its new national security strategy, a squadron of Chinese navy ships sailed through straits near Japan. It’s not all that uncommon in the region, but a Chinese newspaper said the mission sends a signal to the Japanese displaying China’s “capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development interests.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
China protests mark rebellion unseen in decades, direct challenge to Xi

November 28, 2022

After nearly three years of unrelenting COVID-19 measures, a growing number of people in China have had enough. A deadly fire in the Xinjiang region this past week fueled the outrage, where many believe a COVID-19 lockdown delayed emergency response. Ten people died in the apartment blaze, unable to escape.

Now protests are sparking up all over the country in widespread resistance to the Chinese Communist Party unprecedented since the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in 1989.

BBC journalist beaten, arrested

As authorities try to squash the uprising, in Shanghai, police are seen in the video above arresting and beating BBC journalist Ed Lawrence.

“It is very worrying that one of our journalists was attacked in this way whilst carrying out his duties,” BBC said in a statement. “We have had no official explanation or apology from Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught Covid from the crowd. We do not consider this a credible explanation.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian later claimed that Lawrence, “did not identify himself as a journalist and didn’t voluntarily present his press credentials.”

Protesters risk harsh prison sentences

In the crowds, some protesters are publicly calling for President Xi Jinping to resign, a declaration that could land them in prison.

“For Chinese citizens anywhere to be in a public setting, to say, ‘Down with Xi Jinping and down with the CCP,’ that is highly unusual and so this is a test for [Xi],” said Rory Truex, professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. “He will feel personally threatened and challenged by this.”

COVID restrictions loosening?

About to enter the fourth year of Xi’s zero-COVID strategy, some think authorities are starting to cave to the public pressure. According to the Associated Press, Beijing city government said it’ll no longer use gates to block access to apartment compounds containing COVID-19 infections, without mentioning the deadly fire in Urumqi. In Guangzhou, some residents will not be required to do mass testing, citing a need to conserve resources. And in the Xinjiang region, where the fire started, businesses considered to be in low risk areas for infection can reopen.

China’s government denies the unprecedented protests have anything to do with the changes.

“What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened,” Zhao said. “China has been following the dynamic zero-COVID policy and making adjustments based on the realities on the ground.”

Global ripple effects

The uncertainty in the world’s second largest economy sent global markets on a downturn Monday, shaking stocks and oil as China’s COVID-19 cases surge and analysts wonder what Xi’s next move will be.

“I think we haven’t really seen the repressive apparatus fully engaged at this point, but unfortunately, I think that is what we’re going to observe in the days and weeks to come,” Truex said.
US to send B-52 bombers to Australia amid warplane drills with South Korea

October 31, 2022

According to a report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the United States plans on deploying up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in northern Australia. ABC’s “Four Corners” series discovered the U.S. is preparing to build dedicated facilities for the long-range bombers at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal in the Northern Territory.

“The ability to deploy U.S. Air Force bombers to Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about our ability to project lethal air power,” the U.S. Air Force told Four Corners. Becca Wasser with the Center for New American Security added “having bombers that could range and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a signal to China that any of its actions over Taiwan could also expand further.”

When asked about the B-52 bombers being positioned in Australia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said defense and security cooperation between countries should “not target any third parties or harm the interests of third parties.”

“The relevant U.S. behaviors have increased regional tensions, seriously undermined regional peace and stability, and may trigger an arms race in the region,” Zhao told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing. “China urges the parties concerned to abandon the outdated Cold War and zero-sum mentality and narrowminded geopolitical thinking, and to do something conducive to regional peace and stability and enhancing mutual trust between the countries.”

The report about the B-52 bombers came as the U.S. and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills Monday. According to an Air Force statement from last week, the operation will feature about 240 warplanes conducting about 1,600 sorties over the course of the work week.

“[South Korea] and U.S. Air Forces will work together with the joint services to perform major air missions such as close air support, defensive counter air, and emergency air operations 24 hours a day during the training period,” the Air Force said. “Support forces on the ground will also train their base defense procedures and survivability in case of attack.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

To counter China, US Marines in Japan are to be repurposed

WHO tells China to provide ‘realistic’ COVID-19 data at meeting

Japan wants Tomahawk missiles, calls China biggest security threat

China protests mark rebellion unseen in decades, direct challenge to Xi

US to send B-52 bombers to Australia amid warplane drills with South Korea

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