China is worried about NATO’s plans to open its first office ever in Asia.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is planning to open its first office in Asia in Japan. The office will be used to talk with its most important allies in the area. This was revealed by the Nikkei Asia on Wednesday.

The station will allow the military alliance to hold regular meetings with key partners like South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. This is important because China is becoming a new threat, and the alliance has traditionally been focused on Russia.

Oana Lungescu, a spokesperson for the Western military alliance, said in response to the story that the alliance would not give details about what Nato allies are talking about right now.

“NATO has offices and liaison arrangements with a number of international organisations and partner countries, and allies regularly review these arrangements to make sure they meet the needs of both NATO and our partners,” she was quoted as saying.

She also said that Japan and NATO have a close relationship that is still getting stronger.

“Practical cooperation includes a wide range of areas, such as cyber defence, maritime security, humanitarian aid and disaster relief, non-proliferation, science and technology, and human security,” she said.

The proposed office is set to open in Tokyo next year, according to a story from Nikkei Asia. However, details like who will pay for it and if Japan will provide the space are still being worked out.

It said that NATO has buildings like this in New York, Vienna, Ukraine, and other places.

In response to the news, China said Thursday that it was worried about Nato’s move and that there needs to be “high vigilance” as the Western military alliance moves eastward.

During a regular press briefing, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Asia was a “promising land for cooperation and development” that should not be used as a battleground for geopolitics.

“Nato’s continued 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,” Mao said.