Retired paramilitary policemen, who conduct the daily national flag raising and lowering ceremony on Tiananmen Square, salute to a Chinese national flag during a farewell ceremony in Beijing, November 24, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
BEIJING (Reuters) - China hopes that Japan continues down the "path of peace", the defence ministry said on Thursday, in Beijing's first direct reaction to the appointment of a new Japanese defence minister who has a desire for a stronger pre-emptive strike capability.
"We believe that no matter who leads the Japanese defence ministry, the Japanese side ought to uphold walking down the path of peace ... and make efforts to promote the development and improvement in bilateral ties," ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a monthly news briefing.
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