China criticizes Japan's defense white paper

China has lodged serious representations with Japan over its 2026 defense white paper, saying the document grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, rehashes the so-called China threat and once again exposes the truth behind Japan's claim of being a "peaceful nation", the Foreign Ministry said.

China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the white paper, the ministry's spokesman Lin Jian said on Wednesday, urging the international community to stay on high alert and push back against Japan's military expansion.

The Defense of Japan 2026 white paper identifies China as "its greatest strategic challenge" while presenting defense investment as beneficial to Japan's economy and society.

Given China's growing engagements in the region, the white paper states that Japan should respond with its comprehensive national power and in cooperation and collaboration with its allies, like-minded countries and others.

Lin said the latest white paper once again targeted China with groundless accusations and made irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question, adding that China deplores and firmly rejects it.

China is committed to peaceful development and follows a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, while its military activities are just and valid, he said.

"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affair, and how to resolve it is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and Japan is in no place to interfere," Lin said.

He added that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands have been China's territory since ancient times, a fact that cannot be changed by anything Japan says or does.

Yet instead of deeply reflecting on its history, Japan has continued to accelerate remilitarization, break through constraints imposed by its own Constitution and domestic and international law, and challenge the postwar international order, he added.

"This has become a serious factor threatening regional peace and stability," Lin said.

He noted that the latest white paper continues to trumpet the development of long-range offensive capabilities and new ways of warfare, and even packages Japan's rearmament as a growth driver.

China urged Japan to deeply reflect on its historical crimes, draw lessons from history, stop cooking up justification for its military buildup, and step back from the wrong path, he added.