Japan Claims Chinese A Military Threat

The Chinese government has slammed Japan for calling the government in Beijing a 'considerable threat' in light of its military spending. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso is concerned that China has nuclear weapons and its military spending has been rising for years.China is "a neighbouring country with one billion people and nuclear bombs whose military spending has been growing by two digits every year for 17 consecutive years," Foreign Minister Aso told reporters. "And the content of that is extremely unclear. If I say what this means, I recognize that it is becoming a considerable threat," he said. China reacted angrily, saying its economic might was benefiting Japan. "As a foreign minister, to so irresponsibly incite such groundless rhetoric about a China threat, what is the purpose?" foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said at a regular briefing. "China's development has made commonly acknowledged contributions towards the world's peace and stability, bringing East Asian countries, including Japan, great development opportunities," he said in Beijing. Mr Aso's remarks came just after the release of a new Chinese government paper reinforcing that the country intends to become a peaceful world power. Relations between the two countries have been badly strained of late, with Beijing angry over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo shrine that commemorates war criminals among the war dead. China says the pilgrimages show Tokyo doesn't fully regret its militarist past. The two countries are also bitterly divided over gas reserves in the East China Sea with Japan planning a major increase in patrols in the disputed area. However China, with its vast labour pool and rising middle class, remains Japan's top trading partner.