Last week, reports in the Japanese press, citing diplomatic sources, noted that China’s envoy in Tokyo had sent a strong message to Japan about its involvement in the South China Sea. According to Kyodo News Agency, Amabassador Cheng Yonghua had told a Japanese official that should Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force join up with U.S.-led freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in the South China Sea, Japan would have cross a “red line.”

Asked about these reports at a recent press conference, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defense did not walk back the strong language. “We are firmly opposed to Japanese attempts to send its self-defense forces to join the so-called Freedom of Navigation operations by the U.S. in the South China Sea,” Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, remarked.

Reiterating China’s previous position on Japan’s involvement in the disputes in the South China Sea, Wu added that “Japan is not a concerned party in the South China Sea issue, and has no right to intervene in relevant disputes.” Addressing the possibility that China would use military force to respond to Japan’s participation in FONOPs, Wu added that “The Chinese armed forces are firm in its resolve and determination to safeguard the sovereignty, territorial integrity and maritime interests and rights of the country, and will resolutely deal with various threats and challenges.”

http://thediplomat.com/2016/08/chinas-red-line-warning-to-japan-on-south-china-sea-fonops-is-here-to-stay/