China accuses Japan defense minister of 'baseless' claims

BEIJING — China accused Japan’s defense minister on Monday of spreading “baseless” claims and sowing confusion, a day after he took a veiled swipe at Beijing. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi had pledged on Sunday to keep strengthening Japan’s military and warned China was expanding its capabilities without sufficient transparency. His comments follow a months-long diplomatic spat between the Asian rivals, which began when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China attempted to seize Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. READ: Japan defense chief takes swipe at China at security meet China’s foreign […]... Keep on reading: China accuses Japan defense minister of 'baseless' claims

Original source: Philippine Daily Inquirer