China watching Japan's security, defence plans

China said Wednesday it is watching closely Japan's security strategy and latest defense plan, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday. "China's normal growth of national defense capacity does not pose a threat to any country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a press conference in Beijing. "China advocates resolving territorial and maritime disputes through dialogue and negotiation. Meanwhile, we will never allow any country to infringe upon China's territorial sovereignty," Hong was quoted as saying. Earlier in the day, Japan released drafts of its first national security strategy and a long-term defense guideline, which promised to "respond calmly and resolutely to the rapid expansion and step-up of China's maritime and air activities." The drafts said the Japanese government should step up its maritime defense in the southwestern, following China's declaration of the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone. Hong refuted Japan's groundless charge, saying "Japan has hidden political agendas in hyping up the so-called China threat." He urged Japan to prioritize its neighbors' concerns, follow the trend of the times and take a peaceful development road so as to improve China-Japan ties and maintain regional peace and stability. Asked to comment on Japan's claims that China changed the status quo by establishing the defense zone, Hong denounced it was Japan itself that stirred up trouble over the disputed islands and East China Sea and Japan's accusation is "wrong and baseless." China's defense zone is in line with international law and norms, Hong said, urging Japan to correct its attitude and stop provocation in order to create conditions for managing disputes through dialogue. According to a draft outline of new defense guidelines released in Tokyo, the Japanese government plans to deploy amphibious forces and unarmed surveillance drones in the country's southwest in response to China's growing assertiveness over a territorial row. The government panel launched by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued the draft of guidelines, which expressed concerns about China's rapid and increasing military buildup with little transparency and its attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea. The release of the draft came after China declared on November 23 the newly-established air defense zone that overlaps Japan's over the East China Sea, where the disputed islands are located, prompting a swift protest from Japan.