China said on Thursday it needed “heightened vigilance” in the face of NATO’s “eastward expansion” after media reports said the alliance planned to open an office in Japan to facilitate consultations with partners in the region, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

NATO plans to open a liaison office in Japan, the first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region with security partners such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, given geopolitical challenges from China and Russia, Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, citing on Representatives of Japan and NATO.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Thursday that Asia is a “promising land for cooperation and development and should not be a battlefield for geopolitics.”

“NATO’s continued eastward expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, interference in regional affairs, attempts to destroy regional peace and stability, and insistence on confrontation between blocs require countries in the region to be more vigilant,” Mao Ning said at a press conference. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

A communications office is planned to open next year in Tokyo, Nikkei Asia reports.

NATO refused to comment on reports of the opening of an office in Asia

Asked about the information in the article, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the alliance does not provide details about such discussions.

“NATO has Liaison Office arrangements with a number of international organizations and partner nations, and Allies regularly evaluate these arrangements to ensure they best meet the needs of both NATO and our partners,” she said.

NATO has a close partnership with Japan that continues to develop, added Oana Lungescu.

Last year, Japan announced a record defense budget, the biggest since World War II, as the Tokyo government prepares to rearm amid escalating tensions with Russia, China and North Korea.