China To Use Force If Japan Challenges Its Sovereignty
By VOR
Beijing will make no concessions on its territorial sovereignty and will resort to forceful measures, including in regard to Japan, in response to any moves that challenge China’s territorial integrity, Xinhua news agency said citing a senior diplomat.
“We want to live in friendship with all countries including Japan, but we have to uphold our principles and bottom line,” Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun was quoted as saying at a news conference.
Earlier in the month, Tokyo lodged an official protest with Beijing after Chinese surveillance ships entered the territorial waters of disputed islands in the East China Sea.
“However, should anyone want to challenge China’s bottom line on the issue of sovereignty, China will have no alternative but to respond forcefully so as to remove disturbance and obstacles and move steadily on the path of peaceful development,” the high-ranking Chinese diplomat added.
The relations between Japan and China have recently plummeted to their worst level in years over a chain of islands claimed by both countries.