On the afternoon of October 13, Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang answered recent media queries concerning the military.

Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers recent media queries concerning the military on the afternoon of October 13, 2023. (Photo/mod.gov.cn)

(The following English text of the press conference is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

I have a piece of news to announce at the top.

The PLA Army will send troops to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to participate in the live exercises held by the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Experts' Working Group (EWG) of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) from October 14 to 21. The exercise will be organized in the form of mixed teams, and will mainly include table-top and live exercises on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the context of major natural disasters, and conduct academic discussions and exchanges in related fields.

Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese military has actively implemented the Global Security Initiative, participated in the joint demining operation held by the ADMM-Plus EWG on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and live exercises organized by other EWGs including Peacekeeping Operations, Counter-Terrorism, and HADR. The PLA will continue to deepen the pragmatic cooperation under the ADMM-Plus mechanism to keep reinforcing the capabilities to cope with security threats and jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

Question: According to reports, the US Space Force "has had internal discussion about setting up a hotline with China to prevent crises in space". Commander of the US Space Force remarked that a direct line of communication between the Space Force and its Chinese counterpart would be valuable in de-escalating tensions, but the US has not yet engaged with China on this matter. What's your comment?

Answer: As far as I know, the two countries' space agencies have established certain communication channels. I would like to refer you to competent authorities for more information.

Question: It is reported that during the Japanese Defense Minister's visit to the US, the US side said that it looked forward to working with the Japanese side to make the US-Japan Alliance closer. The two sides also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the Taiwan Strait. The US side also confirmed its ironclad commitment to defend all of Japan, including the Diaoyu Islands and other territories. What is your comment?

Answer: China always advocates that defense and security cooperation between relevant countries should not target any third party, still less harm regional peace and stability. It needs to be emphasized that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, and the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory since ancient times. Whatever the US and Japan say or do can never change this iron-clad fact, nor shake China's firm resolve and strong will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We urge relevant countries to respect history, face reality, stop playing up the so-called "China threat" rhetoric, stop provoking confrontation, stop spreading false narratives and provocative remarks, and stop using bilateral alliance treaties to impose military coercion on any third country. The Chinese military will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly uphold regional and global peace and stability.

Question: It is reported that Japan plans to strengthen the deployment of its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Kyushu, which is considered by some analysts a move to mainly target China's increasing "military threats" in Okinawa and the Taiwan Strait. Besides, the Japanese Ministry of Defense recently submitted a record-high budget for the 2024 fiscal year, exceeding 7.7 trillion yen. What is your comment?

Answer: In recent years, Japan has repeatedly broken the bindings of the pacifist constitution and the "exclusively defense-oriented policy". By exaggerating the surrounding threats, it has substantially increased defense expenditure, accelerated the development in new combat domains, and developed long-range offensive capabilities. Japan is going further on the path of military expansion, posing serious challenges to regional and global peace and stability as well as the post-war international order. Such behaviors have aroused widespread doubts and high vigilance inside and outside Japan.

We urge the Japanese side to draw lessons from history and do more for regional peace and stability, not the opposite.