Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comments after the Japanese government announced plans to increase defense spending.

 

　　Hong said at a regular press briefing that due to historical reasons, Japan's moves in the fields of military and security will always be of great concern to its neighboring countries in Asia.

 

　　The Liberal Democratic Party, Japan's ruling party, agreed on Monday to increase defense expenditures by about 120 billion yen or 1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the next fiscal year from 4.7 trillion yen under the initial budget for fiscal 2012.

 

　　Meanwhile, Hong Lei also said China consistently opposes official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, and is against U.S. weapon sales to the island.

 

　　Hong urged the United States to refrain from harming China-U.S. relations and the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

 

　　The remarks were made after U.S senator James Inhofe reportedly told Taiwan's leader that the United States will sell advanced weapons and helicopters to Taiwan.