Defense Budget Increases, China Sends Warning Signal To Japan: Be Careful In Military Affairs

Illustration- (China Flag/Photo: Yan Ke-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - China's Ministry of Defense has given Japan a red light that has increased its defense budget in recent years. Japan is said to be turning back to the militarization route. "It is very dangerous," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei told a news conference as reported by Reuters via channelnewsasia, Thursday, March 16. Japan must stop doing things that endanger regional peace and stability. Japan, which left the war in 1947, last year launched a five-year US$315 billion military expansion to prevent Beijing from using force in the East China Sea. Including amid growing concerns that the Russian attack on Ukraine could have seen China dare to invade Taiwan. Last month, Japan said it suspected Chinese reconnaissance balloons had entered Japanese territory at least three times since 2019. "We urge the Japanese to seriously learn from historical lessons, be careful in their words and actions in matters of military security," Tan told reporters. At the same time, China plans to increase its defense spending by 7.2 percent this year, surpassing last year's increase and faster than the government's moderate economic growth targets. Neighbors of China, including Japan, as well as the United States, are concerned about Beijing's strategic intentions and military developments, especially as tensions have escalated in recent years related to Taiwan. Beijing says its military spending for defensive purposes is a relatively low percentage of its economic outcomes and critics want to consider it a threat to world peace. "What needs to be emphasized is that China's limited defense spending is entirely to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as to maintain world and regional peace and stability," said Tan.