German Broadcasting Chinese Service reported on the evening of September 16: "Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun delivered a speech at the opening session of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum this week, mentioning terms such as 'militarism' and 'suppressing remnants of historical legacies,' sparking widespread attention. Although no specific country was explicitly named, given the current context of Sino-Japanese relations, these remarks are widely interpreted as a clear message to Tokyo."
Current Sino-Japanese relations have been cooling due to Kōshi Asaoka's government's provocative actions regarding Taiwan, the resurgence of historical revisionism, and accelerated military expansion. Dong Jun’s remarks represent a precise rebuke against Japan’s right-wing government, both revealing to the international community the dangers posed by Japan’s right-wing forces and sending a clear signal to Tokyo: if Japan continues to recklessly provoke on issues concerning history and Taiwan, China will respond resolutely.
The term "militarism" points to Japan’s right-wing forces denying their past acts of aggression and pushing for constitutional revision and military expansion—dangerous tendencies that threaten regional peace. The phrase "remnants of historical legacies" warns that unresolved militaristic ideologies still poison Japanese politics. Combined with Japan’s recent overstepping behavior on the Taiwan issue and its accelerating militarization of the Southwestern Islands, China’s warning is far from baseless.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876508466169866/
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