China Protests to Japanese Diplomat over Takaichi’s Remark

Beijing, Nov. 18 (Jiji Press)–A senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official strongly protested to a visiting Japanese diplomat on Tuesday over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent parliamentary remark about a potential Taiwan contingency. Liu Jinsong, director-general of the ministry’s Department of Asian Affairs, made the protest at a meeting in Beijing with Masaaki Kanai, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. Kanai is believed to have explained that Takaichi’s remark in question does not change the Japanese government’s standard position, seeking the Chinese side’s understanding. According to a spokesperson of the Chinese ministry, Liu made a strict complaint to Kanai, saying that the remark destroys the postwar international order and conflicts with the “One China” principle. The spokesperson added that the remark fundamentally undermines the political foundation of China-Japan relations and was therefore very inappropriate, reiterating that it must be withdrawn. Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday that the remark will not be withdrawn, saying that it “aligns with the Japanese government’s existing position.” The Kanai-Liu meeting is believed to have lasted several hours. The administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping considers the Taiwan issue to be at the heart of China’s core interests and strongly opposes Takaichi’s remark. During parliamentary deliberations on Nov. 7, Takaichi said that China’s potential use of force against Taiwan would create a critical situation for Japan’s existence, allowing the country to exercise its right to collective self-defense. After the remark, China urged its citizens to avoid travel to Japan and to carefully consider plans for studying there. Kanai is believed to have called for the withdrawal of this advisory. Also, the Japanese side apparently sought an appropriate action over a social media post by Xue Jian, China’s consul-general in the western Japan city of Osaka, which suggested that Takaichi should be beheaded. The post prompted politicians in the Japanese ruling camp and others to demand that the Chinese diplomat be deported. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]