Beijing raps Tokyo knuckles over submarine war games

China has warned Japan to stay out of military exercises in sensitive areas of the South China Sea.

HMS Albion docks in Tokyo Bay last month. Picture: AP

China has warned Japan to stay out of military exercises in sensitive areas of the South China Sea after a Japanese submarine took part in war games in the region for the first time.

In a rare announcement, the Japanese Defence Ministry confirmed this week that submarine Kuroshio, helicopter carrier Kaga and two destroyers took part in an anti-submarine warfare exercise in the South China Sea last week — the first time a Japanese submarine has taken part in such a drill.

The exercise, which involved the Kushiro trying to avoid detection, was conducted away from the island bases China has been building in disputed areas in the sea, but it was still seen as provocative by the Chinese because of its involvement of a submarine trying to avoid detection.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China and the ASEAN countries were working together to dev­elop a code of conduct on military shipping in sensitive areas in the South China Sea.

He said both sides were “committed to promoting consul­tations on the code of conduct, strengthening the maritime practical co-operation and properly handling their differences”.

Asked about the Japanese exercise, he said China urged “the relevant non-regional country to respect the efforts made by the regional countries to peacefully resolve the South China Sea issue through dialogue”.

He said Japan should “act cautiously and refrain from doing anything that will undermine ­regional peace and stability.”

The Japan Times this week described the exercises as “signalling Tokyo’s intention to keep in check Beijing’s muscle flexing in the area”. In the exercise, the submarine left its base in Japan and joined the other ships for an exercise in an area taking in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The submarine then went on to call at Vietnam’s strategic Cam Ranh Bay, which is close to the Paracel and Spratly islands, claimed by Vietnam and China.

The Japanese exercises followed an earlier incident in which Britain’s HMS Albion sailed close to the Paracel islands, south of China’s Hainan Island, which are administered by China but also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. The first such operation by Britain saw the amphibious landing vessel met by Chinese aircraft and a naval vessel and complaints by Beijing.

In response, the Royal Navy said the Albion had “exercised her right for freedom of navigation in full compliance of international law and norms”.

China claims more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea, but some of its claims are disputed by ASEAN countries including Vietnam, Indonesia and The Philippines.

China has been building up its presence in some disputed islands, provoking criticism by the US and other claimant nations.

The military exercises by the Japanese submarine and navy ships come as relations between Japan and China appear to be ­improving.

Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is due to visit China next month to mark the 40th anniversary of the friendship treaty between the two former enemies.

While relations have been on the improve under Mr Abe, last week’s exercise is seen as still signalling Japan’s view that it wants to contain China’s growing influence in the South China Sea.