Japan-India defence cooperation aimed at China ‘disgraceful’, says Beijing

China said that report of Japan selling a search and rescue aircraft to India at lower price was aimed at pressurising Beijing on the South China Sea issue.

China on Tuesday reacted angrily to a report that Japan plans to sell search and rescue aircraft to India at a lower price and said it would consider such a move “disgraceful” if it is aimed at pressuring Beijing over the disputed South China Sea issue.

An F/A-18 Hornet takes off the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS John C. Stennis during joint military exercise between the United States, Japan and India off the coast 180 miles east of Japan's southernmost island of Okinawa. (AP File Photo)

“I have noted this report. We hold no objection to normal state to state cooperation including defence cooperation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying told media briefing in Beijing.

“But if the report is true that if someone is making unrighteous move then this is very disgraceful,” she said replying to a question that Tokyo plans sell $1.6 billion worth of Shinmaywa US-2+ search and rescue aircraft to India at a cheaper rates to strengthen security cooperation with New Delhi.

Asked to elaborate on why China regards this sale of weapons disgraceful, Hua said “we hold no objection to state to state cooperation including defence cooperation as long is such cooperation is normal”.

“But as reported that the Japanese government is to cut the price to sell weapons to India with an aim to pressurise China on the South China Sea issue and such attempt is targeted at China. If such a report is true then we don’t think the purpose such cooperation is righteous”.