FM speaks out against groundless reports from Japan

Beijing on Thursday urged Japan to stop sowing discord among nations and refrain from slandering and smearing China.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying expressed grave concern over a series of Japanese negative moves related to China at a daily briefing in response to groundless reports from Japanese media.

According to reports, Japan and Indonesia expressed strong opposition to any move by the Chinese side that could potentially escalate tensions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea and concerns over China's Coast Guard Law, during 2-plus-2 security talks held by the two sides in Tokyo.

Hua debunked the disinformation categorically, saying "In fact, the Indonesian side communicated and made clarifications with China immediately when Japan released relevant news, and the press briefing of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to the media via video link did not have anything targeting China.

"For any countries to grow relations, it should not only serve bilateral interests, but also play a constructive role in upholding peace and development of the region and beyond, rather than targeting the third party," she added.

Hua said the Japanese side should faithfully abide by basic norms governing international relations and take concrete action to preserve the overall situation of China-Japan relations.

She also called for Japanese media to shoulder social responsibilities and observe professional ethics, stopping fabricating disinformation, instigating confrontation and stirring up a tense atmosphere among regional countries.