Japan told to stop provocative talk: spokesman

BEIJING - Japan was urged by a Chinese spokesman on Monday to stop its provocative talk after its country's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe depicted China as a threat to regional security.

At a daily news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang responded to comments made by Abe last week. On Friday, the prime minister told the Japanese House of Councillors that China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are major reasons for Japan's grim security environment, according to Japanese media reports.

Expressing anger at the Japanese leader's blatant allegation of the "China threat theory," Qin said China adheres to a road of peaceful development and pursues a national defense policy with a defensive nature.

On the contrary, Japan's recent security-related moves should be closely observed, Qin told reporters.

The rightist Abe government plans to revise a post-war pacifist constitution, which would allow Japan to develop a full-fledged national army. The move has put its neighbors on alert due to the memory of Japanese aggression in the World War II.

"The Japanese side has been provoking China over and over again. What on earth does it want to do?" said the spokesman.

Qin said it would be wrong for Japan to regard China as a rival.

"We hope the Japanese side will sincerely reflect on history, face up to the reality, think about the future and follow a path of peaceful development, rather than use China as an excuse for its hidden intention," he said.

"(The Japanese side) should do more to enhance mutual trust with its neighbors and promote peace and stability in the region," said the spokesman.