Five Chinese navy ships transited the Tsushima Strait and headed northeast into the Sea of Japan, coinciding with Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force deploying new Type 25 long-range surface-to-ship guided missiles and hypervelocity gliding projectiles. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning condemned the deployments as 'neo-militarism' and expressed serious concern.
Five ships from the PLA Navy transited the Tsushima Strait and were tracked heading northeast into the Sea of Japan. This movement occurred just as the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force added the newly designated Type 25 long-range surface-to-ship guided (SSM) missile and hypervelocity gliding projectiles (HGP).
The deployments took place at sites including Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, Kyushu. China's defence ministry warned last month that these actions represent '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'.
At Wednesday's press briefing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning condemned the move as 'neo-militarism' and said China was 'seriously concerned'. She criticised Japan for deploying offensive weapons under the guise of a 'defensive counterstrike', stating it exceeded the scope of self-defence and Japan's exclusively defensive stance.
China has strongly protested the Japanese deployments.
