Tokyo [Japan], July 15 : In a classic display of authoritarian double standards, China has launched an aggressive diplomatic protest against Japan's potential transfer of second-hand Abukuma-class destroyers to the Philippines, a move aimed at bolstering regional deterrence in the face of Beijing's continued maritime bullying, The Eurasian Times reported.
According to The Eurasian Times, Japan has invited the Philippine Navy to conduct a joint inspection of the 109-metre-long destroyer escorts, which are expected to be decommissioned by 2027. The exploratory talks mark a significant shift in Japan's defence posture and its deepening security ties with Manila, a long-time victim of China's relentless aggression in the South China Sea.
The prospect of a regional ally acquiring enhanced naval capability has rattled Beijing. In a defensive and historically revisionist statement, China's Ministry of Defense called on Japan to "reflect on its past" and accused Tokyo of rekindling wartime militarism, an absurd comparison intended to derail growing Indo-Pacific partnerships that challenge China's expansionism.
The Eurasian Times noted that Chinese state media, including the Global Times, cynically equated the transfer of used Japanese destroyers with Japan's World War II-era atrocities. The invocation of the war appears politically timed ahead of the 80th anniversary of China's so-called "War of Resistance" and conveniently ignores the CCP's modern-day belligerence, from building artificial islands to ramming Philippine ships.
For years, the Philippines has struggled to counter China's coercive actions in disputed waters. The potential acquisition of the Abukuma-class vessels, equipped with anti-submarine, anti-ship, and radar-evading features, could finally give Manila a cost-effective but formidable boost in defending its sovereign maritime claims.
Japan, operating under its post-2014 export guidelines, is well within its legal and moral right to support partners facing China's expansionism. The Eurasian Times reported that upgrades to the vessels could promote regional interoperability and deter PLA naval incursions.
Despite China's outrage, the message is clear: democratic nations are tired of appeasing Beijing. The Philippines, like others, is arming for peace, not war, and China's aggressive behaviour is the reason why.