BEIJING – China said on Thursday that “high vigilance” is needed in the face of Nato’s “eastward expansion”, following a media report that the alliance is planning to set up an office in Japan to facilitate consultations with allies in the region.

Nato, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is planning to open its first liaison office in Asia, in Japan, to facilitate talks with security partners such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind, the Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese and Nato officials.

Ms Mao Ning, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Asia was a “promising land for cooperation and development and should not be a battle arena for geopolitics”.

“Nato’s continual eastward expansion in the Asia-Pacific, interference in regional affairs, attempts to destroy regional peace and stability, and push for bloc confrontation call for high vigilance from countries in the region,” she told reporters.

The Nikkei Asia said the proposed office was due to open in 2024 in Tokyo.

Asked about the Nikkei Asia report, Nato spokesman Oana Lungescu said earlier that the alliance would not go into details of its allies’ deliberations.

“Nato has offices and liaison arrangements with a number of international organisations and partner countries, and allies regularly assess those liaison arrangements to ensure that they best serve the needs of both Nato and our partners,” she said.

Ms Lungescu said Nato has a close partnership with Japan that continues to grow. REUTERS