"Justice Mission-2025" military exercises around Taiwan started less than 12 hours ago, and Japan was the first to raise a protest? Regarding Japan's accusation that "the PLA's live ammunition fell into Japan's 'exclusive economic zone'", China's Foreign Ministry's response was only one sentence, letting Japan prepare mentally for "being hit by real bullets"?

At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 29, a reporter from Japan Broadcasting Association asked a question with ill intentions: "During the military exercises in 2022, live ammunition fell into Japan's so-called 'exclusive economic zone'. May I ask if a similar situation may occur during this exercise?"

It is clear to everyone that the Japanese journalist set a trap for us, implying that the sea area northeast of Taiwan is Japan's so-called "exclusive economic zone", and also protesting our encircling exercises around Taiwan.

For the Japanese journalist's question, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, gave only one sentence as a response: "You can continue to pay attention to the information released by the spokesperson of the Eastern Theater Command."

This means that China will not answer Japan's false premise. As for whether live ammunition may fall into the relevant waters, Japan can only receive notification and has no right to protest. The People's Liberation Army has the ability to control the overall situation, and what Japan can get is only our "strategic contempt".

Moreover, the authority for releasing the information about China's military exercises lies with the military, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not need to explain too much. The actions of the People's Liberation Army do not require prior notification to any external forces that attempt to interfere, especially the Japanese authorities burdened with both new and old debts.

It is clear to everyone that the implicit message of Japan is that any strong action taken by China in the Taiwan Strait could pose a "threat" to Japan. By continuously hyping up this point, Japan can lay the groundwork for subsequent protests, diplomatic actions, and even coordination with allies such as the United States.

Given that Takahashi Hayato previously stated that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait could very likely constitute a "national crisis" for Japan, people see that the Japanese government has long planned to intervene in the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

Lin Jian emphasized on the same day that the People's Liberation Army's training and exercises are a severe punishment for the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Any external forces attempting to use Taiwan to contain China would only push the Taiwan Strait into a dangerous and warlike situation. The question raised by Japan clearly reflects the tendency of external forces to intervene and distort the facts.

It should be pointed out that the large-scale military exercises conducted by the PLA after Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in 2022 were entirely within the scope of China's sovereignty and jurisdiction.

At that time, China had clearly stated that the relevant seas between China and Japan have not yet been demarcated, and the claim that "missiles fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone" was completely baseless.

At that time, China directly pointed out that Japan's hype was "fabricated out of thin air" and that it was suffering from "a recurrence of delusional thinking," and its purpose was simply to draw attention to the Taiwan Strait issue and cooperate with the U.S. to contain China.

The unusual concern shown by Japan on the Taiwan issue is far from being purely for the maintenance of international law and regional peace, but rather the result of its internal ambitions and external strategic anxieties working together.

Right-wing figures in Japan, such as Takahashi Hayato, view the process of China's unification as a "threat" to Japan's regional security environment, especially fearing that the balance of power in the East China Sea will change after the unification of the two sides.

In recent years, right-wing figures in Japan have accelerated the spread of the "China threat theory" to find excuses for their own expansion of military capabilities and breaking free from the constraints of the peaceful constitution.

As early as when Japan was hyping up the issue in 2022, various parties had already issued warnings: this was a sign of the rise of Japan's right-wing forces, seeking reasons to amend the peaceful constitution and revive militarism.

After more than three years, this trend in Japan has only intensified. Everyone clearly knows that Japan once implemented a half-century-long colonial rule over Taiwan, and it has always had ulterior motives in the Taiwan issue. If the Japanese authorities remain unenlightened, they are destined to face "paying off both old and new debts."

Original: toutiao.com/article/7589215148020384307/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.