Necessary deterrents to China

On July 22, Xihua newspaper quoted the statement of China Foreign Ministry spokesman threatened that “Beijing has rights to react properly”. The statement was issued after the announcement of Japan’s Defense White Paper, which calls on the 1.4 billion-citizen country to stop exploiting petroleum in disputed areas of the East China Sea.

On the same day, the Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suge said that Tokyo had announced a map and a lot of aerial images that posed 16 offshore constructs nearby the border between China and Japan on the East China Sea. These constructs were built by China to exploit petroleum.

According to Japan’s media, the announcement of the Defense White Paper was one week later as planned because the Liberty Democracy Party did not accept the draft that “doesn’t mention the construction of China on the South China Sea”. Later, the Japan Defense Ministry had to add that “China unilaterally declared sovereignty over almost 3.5 million km2 of the South China Sea, overlapping sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Japan has no sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, but has disputes with China over a group of islands in the East China Sea”.

On July 20, Reuters reported that for the first time, in the Defense White Paper, Tokyo had added aerial images of China’s artificial islands that illegally built in the South China Sea. Japan had expressed concern that the China’s illegally-build military outposts could badly affect to main marine trade routes, which have total trade turnover of $ 5 trillion passing per year. In the same day, the Defense News also reported that for the last 18 months, China had reclaimed about 800 hectares at 7 rocks and reefs in the Spartly Island, including signs of a military radar outpost. These show a remarkable increase of China’s military appearance in the South China Sea and make the dispute more complicated.
Japan also expressed concern over Chinese airplanes and ships repeatedly infringed Japanese airspace and waters nearby the border between two countries as well as China resembled oil-rigs in bordering sea to discover and exploit petroleum. On July 10, in the meeting with the Special Committee on the Law of Security of the House, PM Shinzo Abe expressed his concern over China’s works had “changed dramatically the security environment”. Japanese Defense Minister, Gen Nakatani also showed his worry over the possibility that China will militarized areas around the rigs and considered these Chinese actions new threats to Japan’s security.

According to New York Times, the facts that Japan passed 11 bills and India is going to increase 200 war ships in 2027 are inevitable moves in Asia – Pacific after China increased appearance in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. And this is also considered a remarkable victory of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, who now has bigger role in the regional security, yet has to face the growing and more aggressive China. Mr. Jeff Smith, the Director of Asia Security Program of the US’s Foreign Policy Coucil said Japan not only want to prevent China from monopolizing the South China Sea, but also want to receive support from international community in the dispute of Senkaku Islands between Tokyo and Beijing.

On July 20, the Multi-Facet newspaper commented the plan of Japanese PM to implement military forces in the South China Sea is just matter of time.

On July 21, the Japanese Senkei reported Beijing demanded the Japan’s ruling coalition and the Government of PM Shinzo Abe to put words of “colonialism, aggression, sorry” in his speech in the 70^th anniversary of ending of the World War II. The words of “regret, sorry, invasion, colonialism” were put in the Murayama Declaration in 1995 in the occasion of 50 years of ending the WWII. Professor Christopher Huges, Warwick University commented it is a breakthrough in words if Japan uses the word “aggression” to call Chinese actions in Japanese Defense White Paper.

China has objected the content of the Paper that was announced on July 21. The Paper had 23 pages to analyze Chinese situation and pointed out that Chinese military had become multi-functional and highly specialized to strengthen the army’s power. The Paper also issued the specific figures of Chinese defense budget. Accordingly, in 2015 the Chinese defense budget reaches $ 144 billion, increases 10.1% compared with the budget in 2014 and 3.6 times compared with the budget 10 years later. This made Japan have to adjust the budget for its military operations. The Paper also condemned China for “its unilateral actions” that make the whole world worried./.