Chinese navy arrives in Sea of Japan just as Tokyo deploys long-range missiles

he Type 25 Hypervelocity Gliding Projectile (HGP) is the Japanese forces’ first hypersonic missile.

Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defence Force As Tokyo was completing the deployment on Tuesday of its two Type 25 missiles targeting China, a Chinese naval fleet entered the Sea of Japan, while bilateral tensions continued to escalate.

China has strongly protested the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s addition of the newly designated Type 25 long-range surface-to-ship guided (SSM) missile and hypervelocity gliding projectiles (HGP).

The deployments were an example of “neo-militarism in Japan, which has become more than just a perilous tendency but a very real threat that may wreak havoc on regional peace and security”, the Chinese defence ministry warned last month.

At Wednesday’s press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning again condemned the move as “neo-militarism” and said China was “seriously concerned” about the development.

She criticised Japan for deploying offensive weapons under the guise of a “defensive counterstrike”, stating that it exceeded the scope of self-defence and Japan’s long-standing policy of an exclusively defensive stance.

Mao said Japan’s actions had “seriously violated” the provisions of legally binding international instruments, such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Declaration and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, as well as Japan’s constitution and existing domestic legislation. “This once again shows that Japan’s right-wing forces are pushing security policy in an offensive and expansionist direction.

Japan’s neo-militarism threatens regional peace and stability, and the international community must remain highly vigilant,” she told reporters.

Five PLA Navy vessels were tracked between Sunday and Tuesday heading northeast after crossing the Tsushima Strait, according to Tokyo.

They included the Lhasa, a Type 055 destroyer, and two Type 052D destroyers, the Guiyang and the Chengdu.

Also in the flotilla were the Jinxing, a Type 815A intelligence collector, and a Type 903A replenishment ship called the Kekexilihu, the Japanese defence ministry said.

In addition, a Chinese Y-9 patrol aircraft was spotted on Saturday over the East China Sea which the ministry said was a new variant observed for the first time.

The Japan Air Self-Defence Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept, the ministry said.

The Type 25 SSM – an upgraded version of the Type 12 surface-to-ship missile – has a range of more than

原文链接: 南华早报