China dismisses Japan's war game claim

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BEIJING, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The People's Daily Tuesday reminded about the "power of China's missiles" in the event of a combat at sea with Japan over their island dispute.

The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper made the comment while dismissing Japan's claim of success in its recent war game simulation over the island issue.

The People's Daily said in the simulation, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force called the result "inspiring" as it defeated two fleets of China's People's Liberation Army with "slight loss."

The Chinese newspaper said the news was greatly hyped by Japanese media and that Japan's "right-wing forces" believe that China will surely be defeated once a naval war breaks out between China and Japan.

The report said Chinese military experts dismissed the claim as "wishful thinking" as such simulations are different from an actual combat.

"Does Japan take into consideration the power of China's missiles once a combat really breaks out between China and Japan on the sea?" the People's Daily asked.

The two countries are locked in a worsening territorial dispute over a group of islets in the East China Sea which Japan currently controls. Bilateral relations have strained after Japan last month announced it had purchased some of the islands and brought them under government control.

The People's Daily said Japan ignoring China's determination to maintain its territorial sovereignty and spreading the "result" of the war game simulation will "encourage arrogance of the right-wing forces and induce rabid emotion, triggering a military conflict."

The report said through the war game simulation, Japan is attempting to "intimidate and put psychological pressure on Chinese military so that it can win the peace negotiations and reach an effect of winning without a fight."