Why does the PLA object to Japan’s drone plans for its southern islands?
Tokyo says it’s building a coastal defence system but Beijing sees an offensive purpose in the deployment
The People’s Liberation Army has accused Japan of taking a “dangerous gamble” with its plan to deploy satellite-aided drones to its southwestern islands near Taiwan.
In a commentary on Sunday, the PLA Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese military, said that while Tokyo maintained that it was building a multilayered coastal defence system, the equipment had a “distinct offensive nature”.
“While called a ‘shield’, it is in reality a ‘spear’,” it said.
Japan is actively equipping its naval fleet with US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles to bolster its long-range counterstrike capabilities. The country plans to 400 Tomahawks with a range of roughly 1,600km, allowing it to hit targets deep inland without exposing vessels to close-range enemy fire.