Beijing is closely following developments regarding reported NATO plans to open an office in Japan.
China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that there was a need for "high vigilance," in response to the media reports.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the 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 calls for high vigilance from countries in the region," Mao told a regular press conference.
The Western military alliance is planning to open its first Asian liaison office in Japan to facilitate consultations in the region, the Nikkei Asia reported earlier Wednesday, citing Japanese and NATO officials.
The office will enable discussions with NATO's security partners, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind, the media outlet reported.
Asked about the report, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said the alliance would not go into details of NATO allies' ongoing deliberations.
"NATO has offices and liaison arrangements with a number of international organizations 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.
Lungescu said NATO has a close partnership with Japan that continues to grow.
"Practical cooperation includes a wide range of areas, including cyber defense, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, non-proliferation, science and technology, and human security," she said.
Japanese Foreign Ministry spokespeople were not available for comment due to a public holiday in the country.
The Nikkei Asia report said the proposed office is due to open next year in Tokyo but details such as whether Japan would provide the space or NATO would fund it were under negotiation.
NATO has similar liaison offices in New York, Vienna, Ukraine and other places, it said.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan in January and pledged with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen ties in the face of "historic" security challenges, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's rising military power.
Japan and NATO are seeking to deepen cooperation on cyber threats, disruptive technologies and disinformation, aiming to sign an individually tailored partnership program before a NATO summit in July, Nikkei Asia reported.
