SINGAPORE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Japanese politicians' suggestions on reinforcing the country's military capabilities are very dangerous, He Lei, former deputy head of the Academy of Military Sciences, said Friday at a media briefing.
The Chinese expert made the remark after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a keynote speech at the opening dinner of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore.
The military expert said some high-level politicians in Japan are proposing that Japan should review its three non-nuclear principles and calling for raising Japan's defense budget to two percent of its gross domestic product within five years.
Kishida said in his speech that his government will set out a new National Security Strategy by the end of this year, and that he is determined to fundamentally reinforce Japan's defense capabilities within the next five years and secure a substantial increase of Japan's defense budget needed to effect it.
"In doing so, we will not rule out any options, including so-called counterstrike capabilities," Kishida said.
The Chinese expert said Kishida implicated that it is China who breaks the rules and is trying to use military force or use strength to change the status quo. However, it is not China that changes the status quo in the East China Sea, but Japan.
Japan in 2012, despite China's strong opposition, illegally purchased the Diaoyu islands and attempted to "nationalize" the territory. This, first of all, was a change of the state quo, and also went against the tacit agreement between the two countries that the dispute concerning the Diaoyu islands should be shelved, He mentioned.
"We do not accept that the characterization of China as changing the status quo with force or with strength," He said.
China's development has been a contribution to the growth of the world's force for peace, He said, adding that the development of China's military strength means that the country is stronger in defending its national interests, which is also a good thing for world peace.
China adheres to the path of peaceful development, and adopts an independent foreign policy of peace and a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, He said, adding that all these have been written into China's Constitution as well as the National Defense Law.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the country has never provoked any war with any other country, never invaded any other country, and never occupied even one inch of the territory of other countries.
"We didn't do that, and we're not doing now, nor will do it in the future," He said. "We will never seek the hegemony."
