China has expressed its opposition to any moves by Japan and South Korea to form a political or military alliance in response to a dispute over a group of islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement that Japan and South Korea should not form blocs.
“We oppose any moves by Japan and South Korea to form a political or military alliance in response to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands dispute,” Hua said.
She added that the two countries should take into account “the overall situation of their relations and the long-term interests of their peoples,” and that they should “look to the future rather than the past” when addressing the issue.
The Diaoyu/Senkaku islands have been a source of tension between China and Japan for decades. China claims the islands, known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku in Japanese, as its own, while Japan has controlled them since 1895.
South Korea and Japan have been strengthening their ties in recent years, with the two countries signing a military intelligence-sharing agreement in November. The agreement has been seen by some as a move by the two countries to counter the growing influence of China in the region.