China, Japan trade barbs over Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan in growing row

Japan Wire; BEIJING - China and Japan traded barbs on Friday over recent remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Japan's potential involvement in a Taiwan contingency, as the two Asian neighbors locked themselves in an escalating diplomatic row.

China has summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing and demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday, while Japan's Foreign Ministry said it lodged a similar protest the same day over a recent social media post by a Chinese diplomat responding to the remarks.

Also Friday, China urged its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, with its Foreign Ministry saying that provocative remarks by Japan's leader have caused "the atmosphere surrounding people-to-people exchanges to deteriorate severely, posing significant risks to the safety of Chinese people" in Japan.

Calling Takaichi's remarks "extremely wrong and dangerous," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong warned in his meeting with envoy Kenji Kanasugi on Thursday that "anyone who dares to interfere in China's reunification cause in any form will surely be dealt a heavy blow," the ministry said.

Sun was also quoted as saying the Japanese leader's "provocative" remarks, which implied "the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait," seriously undermined the political foundation of bilateral relations and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

"The 1.4 billion Chinese people will never tolerate this," he added.

The vice minister stressed that matters related to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, are "at the core of China's core interests" and "an untouchable red line."

Kanasugi explained Japan's position and countered Beijing's argument, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said without elaborating.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference, "On issues related to our sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, we will never make any compromises."

"No one should ever challenge our red lines," Lin said. "Any force who attempts to stop China's reunification is doomed to fail."

China's Defense Ministry warned that if Japan were to use force to interfere in the Taiwan issue, it would "only suffer a crushing defeat against the steel-willed People's Liberation Army and pay a heavy price."

Earlier this week, Takaichi denied any intention to retract her remarks, which she said were made on the assumption of a "worst-case" scenario and do not contradict the stance of the previous government.

Last Friday, Takaichi told a parliamentary committee session that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan could present a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan that may lead it to exercise its right to collective self-defense.

In Tokyo, the Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao, with Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi lodging a protest over a recent social media post by a Chinese diplomat in response to Takaichi's remarks and demanding that Beijing take appropriate action.

Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian threatened Saturday in his post on X to "cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation." The post later became inaccessible.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, saying Japan hopes for a "peaceful resolution" of issues related to the self-ruled, democratic island.

The top government spokesman added that Tokyo upholds the countries' 1972 joint communique, which states Japan "fully understands and respects" China's position that Taiwan is "an inalienable part" of its territory. Japan switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the mainland that year.

Communist-ruled China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 after a civil war. China views the island as a breakaway province to be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary, and sees the Taiwan issue as a purely "internal affair."