China on Friday urged Asia-Pacific countries to reject attempts to introduce "camp-based confrontation" into the region.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing in response to the announcement of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to India later this month.
People walk out of the venue of the 18th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 11, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)
The Asia-Pacific region is not a battlefield for geopolitical competition, Wang said, and called on countries across the region to cooperate in enhancing mutual understanding and trust to maintain peace and stability.
"Cooperation should not target or harm the interests of any third party," Wang said.
"Some countries have been trumpeting the so-called 'free and open Indo-Pacific,' but they are actually forming small cliques and stoking camp-based confrontation."
China had no interest in such plans, he said.
China has also raised concerns with Japan over its planned discharge of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plan into the sea, the spokesperson noted.
(Compiled by Chen Xu)
