China urges Japan to do more for regional peace and stability

BEIJING - A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that China hopes Japan will do much more for regional peace and stability.

Spokesperson Hong Lei made the remarks in response to reports that Japan on Monday had switched on a radar station on Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture. The new Self Defence Force base on the island of Yonaguni is only about 150 km from China's Diaoyu Islands.

"China has a clear and consistent stance on the East China Sea and Diaoyu Islands issues," Hong said, expressing his hope that Japan can do more to benefit regional peace and stability.

When asked to comment on Japan's controversial new security-related legislation, which will become effective Tuesday, Hong said that due to historical reasons, military and security policy moves by Japan have been watched closely by the country's Asian neighbors and the international community.

The new security legislation gives the green light to Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to engage in armed conflicts overseas for the first time since the end of WWII.

"We hope the Japanese side learns from the hard lessons of history, sticks to the path of peaceful development, acts with discretion on military and security issues and does more to enhance mutual trust with neighbors and to benefit regional peace and stability," Hong said.