China has lodged serious representations with Japan over the Defense of Japan 2026 white paper which once again targeted China with groundless accusations, rehashing the so-called “China threat” and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs with brazen comments on China’s Taiwan region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.

The remarks were made in response to a media question which claimed Japan’s latest defense white paper identifies China as “its greatest strategic challenge” while presenting defense investment as beneficial to Japan’s economy and society. The Defense White Paper claimed that Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its ally, like-minded countries and others, given China’s intensifying activities in the region surrounding Japan.

When asked what is China’s assessment of the implications of Japan’s accelerated military buildup and whether China sees this as a sign that Japan is normalizing military expansion, Lin said that the Defense of Japan 2026 white paper once again targeted China with groundless accusations, rehashing the so-called “China threat” and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs with brazen comments on China’s Taiwan region. China deplores and firmly rejects this, and has lodged serious representations with Japan.

China is committed to peaceful development and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. The military activities that were conducted are just and valid, Lin said.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair. How to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and Japan is in no place to interfere. Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands have been China’s territory since ancient times. This fact will never change no matter what the Japanese side says or does, Lin added.

According to Lin, Japanese militarists once inflicted immense suffering on Asia and the world, and committed untold crimes. Yet Japan has not only failed to reflect on that history, but also kept speeding up remilitarization, breaching Japan’s own Constitution and the international and domestic laws, and challenging the post-war international order. This has become a serious factor threatening regional peace and stability.

The latest white paper continues to trumpet the development of long-range offensive capabilities and new ways of warfare, and even packages Japan’s rearmament as a growth driver. All these once again exposed the truth behind Japan’s claim of being a “peaceful nation.” The international community must stay on high alert and push it back, Lin said.

We urge Japan to deeply repent for historical crimes, learn the lesson of history, stop cooking up justification for its military buildup, and step back from the wrong path, Lin added.