China's naval power will always fret Japan

Playing up China's growing naval power is Japan's excuse for its future military buildup, Chinese experts said yesterday, in response to Tokyo's recently expressed worries over China's maritime capability.

Defense of Japan 2009, the country's annual defense white paper approved on Friday, noted that the Chinese navy is reinforcing vessels to extend its military capability beyond nearby waters.

The report also quoted Chinese Defense Minister, General Liang Guanglie, as saying that China cannot remain "without an aircraft carrier indefinitely".