China’s State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi speaks during a UN Security Council meeting at the UN Headquarters to discuss the conflict in Ukraine in New York City on September 22, 2022.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | getty images
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was “shocking” for Japan’s leader to openly send wrong signals regarding Taiwan, according to an official statement on Sunday, the latest comments that have roiled relations for more than two weeks.
Wang, the most senior Chinese official to comment publicly on the issue, said Japan was crossing a red line that should not be touched, according to a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.
He accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi of attempting to intervene militarily on Taiwan. Wang was referring to comments on November 7 in which she told a questioner in parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically ruled Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo.
The ensuing dispute, the largest China-Japan crisis in years, has spilled over to trade and cultural relations. On Friday, China raised the issue with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and vowed to protect itself.
Beijing views democratically ruled Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wang’s comments on Sunday. In response to a letter to the United Nations, the ministry on Saturday rejected China’s claims as “completely unacceptable” and said Japan’s commitment to peace remains unchanged.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the letter written to the United Nations on Sunday
“The letter not only contains rude and inappropriate content but also maliciously distorts historical facts,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Furthermore, it violates Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations.”
Wang said that in response to Japan’s move, “China must resolutely counter-attack – not only to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to safeguard the hard-earned post-war achievements made with blood and sacrifice.”
If Japan “persists on its wrong path and continues on this path,” he said, all countries and peoples have the right to “re-examine Japan’s historical crimes” and “firmly prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism.”
China is Japan’s largest export market after the United States, according to UN Comtrade data, which will buy about $125 billion of Japanese goods in 2024, mainly including industrial equipment, semiconductors and automobiles.
