China on Wednesday called the Japan-U.S. mutual security pact a product of the Cold War following U.S. criticism of the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels in Japanese-claimed territorial waters over the weekend.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also reasserted China’s claim to a string of tiny, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan.
The verbal exchange followed reports that two Chinese coast guard ships on Sunday twice entered Japanese territorial waters surrounding the islands, known by Japan as Senkaku and by China as Diaoyu.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby on Tuesday said China had “continued to flout international rules” and the U.S. would work with its allies to address such challenges.
Wang did not directly address the criticism but said the islands were “China's inherent territory”. “The U.S.-Japan security treaty is a product of the Cold War, which should not harm a third party's interest or endanger regional peace and stability," Wang said at a daily briefing.
