Japan voices protest over alleged French military sales to China

[SajeevJino]

Japan voices protest over alleged French military sales to China​

Japan has made known its protest to Paris over the sale of helicopter landing equipment by a French firm to China, as this comes at a very sensitive time with an intensifying territorial dispute ongoing between Japan and China

France-based naval defense firm DCNS has sold at least 11 sets of the equipment, which can help helicopters land on ships in bad weather.

"We have expressed our concerns," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday, while a foreign ministry official added the protest was made through the embassy in Paris after DCNS announced the sales. The equipment is a fixture on naval vessels – a large, perforated steel plate that allows a grappling hook sent out by the helicopter to affix itself on the plate, allowing the helicopter to guide itself down to the ship's landing deck. Japan said that the equipment could boost China's underdeveloped helicopter landing technology and therefore may pose a threat to Japan's control of the Senkaku islands.

The French government has responded, telling Tokyo that the transactions were outside the European Union's ban on arms exports to China. Japan's foreign ministry has revealed that they will continue to communicate Japanese concerns to France on future diplomatic exchanges. The long-running dispute over the islands blew up in September when Tokyo nationalized part of the island chain, triggering protests in Beijing and anti-Japan demonstrations all across China. Beijing has repeatedly sent ships and aircraft near the islands to the consternation of the Japanese government.

Japan voices protest over alleged French military sales to China - The Japan Daily Press

 

[asianobserve]

The French would even sell the hide of their mothers just to sell military equipments to anybody. They would sell to the Indians, to the Russians and to the Chinese. Maybe if Martians can come up with the dollars to buy French weapons then France will sell them some...

 

[s002wjh]

OMG they are selling landing grid for helo. seriouslly if french start selling jets, warship then japan can complain about it.