Japan accuses China of pushing territorial claims in Indo-Pacific amid pandemic

Japan has accused China of pushing its territorial claims amid coronavirus pandemic and spreading propaganda and disinformation as it provides medical aid to combat the disease. In the annual defence white paper published on July 14, Japan said that China has been relentless in unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Japan has also raised grave concern over China’s continued unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion in the sea area around the Senkaku Islands. The annual report said that the Chinese Navy and Air Force have expanded and intensified their activities in the surrounding sea areas and airspace of Japan, and there are cases involving the one-sided escalation of activities.

“China has been continuing activities viewed as training of maritime and air forces making forays into the Pacific and the Sea of Japan, being suspected of intending to regularize these activities,” the report read.

The stinging report on China’s behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region comes after the United States and Australia voiced their concerns over the Chinese claims in the South China Sea, calling for a free Indo-Pacific. Japan added that China is believed to be aiming to build up capabilities for operations in more distant waters and airspace.

Read: US: Pompeo Terms Chinese Aggression In South China Sea 'unlawful'

US terms China's claim 'unlawful'

On July 13, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo called Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea completely “unlawful”. He said that China’s “predatory world view” has no place in the 21st century and that it has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region. 

“Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its “Nine-Dashed Line” claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it in 2009,” said Pompeo in a statement.

“The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire,” he added.

Read: China Says US Sending Ships To South China Sea To Flex Muscles, Fuel Conflict