HONG KONG
\nChina\u2019s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was \u201cshocking\u201d for Japan\u2019s leader to openly send a wrong signal concerning Taiwan, according to an official statement on Sunday, the latest remarks in a row that has shaken relations for more than two weeks.
\nWang, the most senior Chinese official to have commented publicly on the issue, said Japan was crossing a red line that must not be touched, according to the statement posted on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs\u2019 website.
\nHe accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of attempting to intervene militarily over Taiwan. Wang was referring to comments on November 7 in which she told a questioner in parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
\nThe ensuing row, the biggest China-Japan crisis in years, has spread to trade and cultural relations. On Friday China raised the issue with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, vowing to defend itself.
\nBeijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan\u2019s government rejects Beijing\u2019s claims and says only the island\u2019s people can decide their future.
\nIn response to the letter to the U.N., Japan\u2019s foreign ministry on Saturday dismissed China\u2019s claims as \u201centirely unacceptable\u201d and said Japan\u2019s commitment to peace was unchanged.
\nSpeaking to reporters in South Africa after attending the G20 leaders\u2019 summit, Takaichi on Sunday made no mention of Wang\u2019s remarks or the letter, saying only that Japan remained open to dialogue with China.
\n\u201cWe are not closing the door. But it\u2019s important for Japan to state clearly what needs to be said,\u201d she said.
\nShe added that she had not spoken with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was also in Johannesburg for the meeting.
\nTaiwan\u2019s Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the letter to the U.N.
\n\u201cThe letter not only contains rude and unreasonable content but also maliciously distorts historical facts,\u201d the ministry said in a statement. \u201cFurthermore, it violates Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations.\u201d
\nWang said that in responding to Japan\u2019s move, \u201cChina must resolutely hit back – not only to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to defend the hard-won postwar achievements secured with blood and sacrifice.\u201d
\nIf Japan \u201cpersists in its wrong course and continues down this path,\u201d all countries and people have the right to \u201cre-examine Japan\u2019s historical crimes\u201d and \u201cresolutely prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism\u201d, he said.
\nChina is Japan\u2019s largest export market after the United States, buying about $125 billion of Japanese goods in 2024, mainly industrial equipment, semiconductors and automobiles, according to UN COMTRADE data.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HONG KONG China\u2019s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was \u201cshocking\u201d for Japan\u2019s leader to openly send a wrong signal concerning Taiwan, according to an official statement on Sunday, the latest remarks in a row that has shaken relations for more than two weeks. Wang, the most senior Chinese official to have commented publicly on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-516340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n