(Adnkronos) – China has notified South Korea of the “temporary postponement” of the trilateral meeting between the Culture ministers of Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo, scheduled for next Monday in Macau, amidst diplomatic tensions between the Asian giant and Japan, triggered by the words on Taiwan from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. This was announced by the Ministry of Culture in Seoul, according to reports from the South Korean agency Yonhap, which specifies that the People’s Republic has not clarified the reasons for the postponement.
Questioned about the latest developments, the spokesperson for Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, reiterated that Takaichi made “extremely wrong statements regarding the Taiwan region,” which “hurt the Chinese people,” “question the international order,” and “undermine the foundations for cooperation between China, Japan, and South Korea.” Therefore, Mao stated, “at present, the conditions for meaningful meetings” among the three countries are lacking.
Beijing considers Taiwan, a de facto independent island, as a “region” to be “reunified” and does not rule out the use of force. Takaichi, considered a hawk, hinted earlier this month that a military attack by China against the island could legitimize an intervention by Japanese forces in defense of Taipei.
