Foreign Ministry of China spokesperson Hong Lei on regular press conference on November 20, 2015

China will be vigilant against Japan’s interference in the South China Sea issue, its military return to the South China Sea in particular, said Foreign Ministry of China’s spokesperson Hong Lei during the regular press conference on November 20, 2015.

He was asked to comment on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s statement that Tokyo would consider dispatching its Self-Defense Forces to patrol the South China Sea.

“There has never been any problem with navigation freedom in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China firmly opposes actions that threaten other country’s sovereignty and security and move the region further towards militarization under the name of navigation and overflight freedom,” answered Hong Lei.

“Japan once occupied China's islands in the South China Sea during the Second World War. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, China recovered these islands. Japan should remember and reflect upon history,” he added.