Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Chen Xi Answers Questions from Reporters on Japan's 2026 Defense White Paper

Reporter: According to reports, Japan has officially released the 2026 edition of the "Defense White Paper," falsely claiming that China's military movements represent "the largest strategic challenge ever," and stating that Chinese military activities around Taiwan are becoming more frequent, with Japan's surrounding security strategic environment being in the most severe and complex period since the war. What is your comment on this?

Chen Xi: The new edition of Japan's "Defense White Paper" is filled with false narratives, exaggerating the "surrounding security crisis" and hyping up the so-called "China threat," which is nothing but a case of the thief crying "stop thief," seeking excuses to loosen its own military constraints. We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to this.

The Japanese ruling authorities continue to use the guise of "defensive defense" to accelerate the revision of the "three security documents," continuously increase defense spending, vigorously develop long-range offensive capabilities, promote the militarization of space, and even package the expansion of the military-industrial complex as a point of economic growth, attempting to deeply embed military expansion and preparation into the national system, economic industry, and social discourse. Japan's "new militarism" has become a serious challenge to the post-war international order and a real threat to regional peace and stability. The Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is a political foundation for China-Japan relations; it is a red line that cannot be crossed. We urge the Japanese side to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop misleading the Japanese public and the international community, and not to stray further down the wrong path of "remilitarization."