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[Bilingual] Ministry of National Defense: Japan's Attempts to Hype Up China's Legitimate Actions Are Doomed to Fail

【双语】国防部：日方炒作中方正当行动不可能得逞

PLA Daily (解放军报) 9 June 2026

Summary

MND Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang confirmed on June 9 that the Liaoning carrier battle group is conducting planned far-seas training (远海训练) in the Western Pacific, and that Chinese naval formations responded to repeated Japanese tracking and surveillance in accordance with laws and regulations. The statement documents Beijing's standard counter-narrative framing when a foreign military publicly monitors PLA operations — characterizing Japanese disclosure of vessel numbers, operating areas, and sortie counts as inflammatory propaganda rather than legitimate transparency. The specific use of 远海训练 as the stated justification extends the established pattern of the PLA using carrier deployments to accumulate blue-water operational experience while deflecting foreign monitoring as politically motivated.

Translation

Ministry of National Defense: Japan's Attempts to Hype Up China's Legitimate Actions Are Doomed to Fail MND: Japan's Propaganda Campaign Against China's Legitimate Operation Will Never Succeed

On the afternoon of June 9, Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang released a statement on recent military-related issues.

Reporter: According to reports, the Japanese side has recently tracked and monitored the Liaoning carrier battle group conducting training in the Western Pacific on multiple occasions. Japan's Ministry of Defense has continuously disclosed the battle group's number of vessels, operating sea areas, and the number of carrier-based aircraft sorties. Japan's Defense Minister stated that they will closely monitor the movements of the Chinese carrier battle group and continue to conduct vigilance and surveillance. What is your comment on this?

Question: It was reported that the Japanese side kept tracking and monitoring the training activity conducted by PLANS Liaoning Carrier Task Group (CTG Liaoning) in the Western Pacific. Japan's Ministry of Defense has continuously disclosed the task group's number of vessels, the training location and the number of sorties flown by ship-borne aircraft. Japanese Defense Minister said they will continue to closely monitor the Chinese CTG and stay on alert. What's your comment?

Zhang Xiaogang: At present, the Liaoning carrier battle group is conducting training in relevant waters of the Western Pacific as planned. This operation is not directed at any specific country or target, and is aimed at enhancing the combat capabilities of the carrier battle group through far-seas training (远海训练). During this period, the Japanese side conducted tracking and surveillance on multiple occasions, and Chinese naval vessel formations responded in accordance with laws and regulations. The Japanese side's inflammatory hype (煽宣炒作) of China's legitimate actions in a vain attempt to manufacture tensions and mislead public opinion is plain for all discerning people to see, and is absolutely doomed to fail.

Zhang Xiaogang: Currently, CTG Liaoning is conducting training in relevant waters of the Western Pacific as planned. The operation is not targeted at any specific country or entity. It aims to enhance the combat capabilities of the CTG through far-seas training. The Chinese side responded to multiple surveillance operations of the Japanese side during the training in accordance with laws and regulations. People see clearly that the Japanese side is playing up China's legitimate operation to stoke tensions and mislead public opinion. This propaganda campaign will never succeed.

Original Chinese

国防部：日方炒作中方正当行动不可能得逞 MND: Japan's Propaganda Campaign Against China's Legitimate Operation Will Never Succeed 6月9日下午，国防部新闻发言人张晓刚大校就近期涉军问题发布消息。记者：据报道，近期日方多次跟监辽宁舰航母编队在西太平洋训练，日本防卫省连续公布编队舰艇数量、所在海域、舰载机起降架次等情况。日防卫大臣表示将密切关注中方航母编队动向，继续进行警戒监视。请问对此有何评论？ Question: It was reported that the Japanese side kept tracking and monitoring the training activity conducted by PLANS Liaoning Carrier Task Group (CTG Liaoning) in the Western Pacific. Japan's Ministry of Defense has continuously disclosed the task group's number of vessels, the training location and the number of sorties flown by ship-borne aircraft. Japanese Defense Minister said they will continue to closely monitor the Chinese CTG and stay on alert. What's your comment? 张晓刚：目前，辽宁舰航母编队正按计划在西太平洋相关海域开展训练。此次行动不针对任何特定国家和目标，旨在通过远海训练提升航母编队战斗力。其间，日方多次进行跟踪监视，中方舰艇编队依法依规予以处置。日方对中方正当行动煽宣炒作，妄图制造紧张、误导舆论，明眼人看得一清二楚，这是不可能得逞的。 Zhang Xiaogang: Currently, CTG Liaoning is conducting training in relevant waters of the Western Pacific as planned. The operation is not targeted at any specific country or entity. It aims to enhance the combat capabilities of the CTG through far-seas training. The Chinese side responded to multiple surveillance operations of the Japanese side during the training in accordance with laws and regulations. People see clearly that the Japanese side is playing up China's legitimate operation to stoke tensions and mislead public opinion. This propaganda campaign will never succeed.