China says Japan-US security treaty a product of Cold War The Associated Press February 24 A Chinese Coast Guard ship prepares to anchor in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 14, 2020, for a port call. (AFP via Getty Images) BEIJING China on Wednesday called the Japan-U.S. mutual security pact a product of the Cold War following U.S. criticism of the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels in Japanese-claimed territorial waters over the weekend. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also reasserted China’s claim to a string of tiny, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan. The verbal exchange followed reports that two Chinese coast guard ships on Sunday twice entered Japanese territorial waters surrounding the islands, known by Japan as Senkaku and by China as Diaoyu.