The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on July 22 that it had lodged stern representations to Japan over its smearing of China in the newly-released annual defense white paper.

In the paper issued on July 22, Japan identifies China as one of its main security concerns and claims that there is "a lack of transparency" in China's military trends.

The document vilifies China's defense policy, normal military development, and legitimate maritime activities, playing up the so-called "China threat" and interfering in China's internal affairs on the Taiwan question, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On Friday, the Chinese Embassy in Japan also rejected the accusations in the document. CGTN interviewed Rong Ying, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies, to discuss more.