China threatens direct strike if Japan attacks Chinese sovereignty
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin (photo: Getty Images)
China warned Japan of a possible direct strike after Tokyo began deploying domestically produced long-range missiles, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin said, Global Times reports.
What was said in China
According to a spokesperson, right-wing forces in Japan are actively pursuing a policy of remilitarization, seeking to change the pacifist Constitution, revise key national security documents, and abandon the three non-nuclear principles.
According to Jiang, deployment of long-range weapons, whose range reaches about 1,000 kilometers and exceeds Japan's territorial limits, deprives the country of the status of an exclusively defensive state system.
"This speaks volumes about the neo-militarism in Japan, which has become more than just a perilous tendency, but a very real threat that may wreak havoc on regional peace and security. Let me make it clear to the Japanese side: retreating to its belligerent and militarist past leads nowhere but self-destruction. Should the Japanese side dare to use force to violate China's sovereignty and security, it will only meet a head-on blow and suffer a greater and inevitable defeat," a Chinese spokesperson warned.
Japan deploys missiles
As ABC News writes, on March 9, Japan began deployment of the first batch of its own Type-12 long-range surface-to-ship missiles. Launchers arrived at Camp Kengun military base in Kumamoto prefecture in the southwest of the country.
By the end of March, missiles will be fully deployed, and later this year, they are planned to be installed at Camp Fuji base in Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo.
Deployment is aimed at strengthening Japan's defense amid growing security challenges in the region, particularly due to tensions around Taiwan.
Conflict between China and Taiwan
The conflict between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan is long confrontation that began after the civil war in 1949.
Beijing considers Taiwan its breakaway province, seeking reunification, while Taiwan is a de facto independent democratic state.
In recent years, tensions have increased due to the intensification of China's military exercises near the island, the growth of cyberattacks, and attempts to limit international support for Taipei.
According to Western intelligence, China's invasion of Taiwan may be possible as early as November 2026.
