US and Japan Plot Dual-Use Ships as China Warns Against Confrontation
Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) frigate JS Noshiro. File photo
Oleg BurunovPlans for joint building of commercial ships with military applications were announced by US Navy Secretary John Phelan, Nikkei Asia reports.Phelan admitted that China‘s ability to convert commercial ships to military use “seems to be very quick,” which he said is currently not the case with Japan and the US.New US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, earlier urged the US and Japan to cooperate more on defense in the face of what he described as an increasingly “confrontational” China, who dismissed the comments as a diplomatic slur.
“Who is flaunting military force, provoking confrontation, and threatening peace everywhere? The international community has never been clearer about this,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stressed.
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