The diplomatic crisis between China and Japan opened a new chapter on Tuesday, after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared that Tokyo was promoting a “completely unacceptable military threat.” The statement comes after the Japanese government accused Chinese fighters of illuminating Japanese planes with radar gunners – a move considered aggressive and dangerous.
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Beijing counters, however, and maintains that Japanese planes have repeatedly approached a previously announced Chinese naval training exercise in the eastern Miyako Strait. According to local press, tensions between the two countries have increased since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said last month that Japan could respond to possible Chinese military action against Taiwan if Japanese security was threatened.
Wang Yi, in a meeting with German Minister Johann Wadephul in Beijing, said that in this year which marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Japan – “as a defeated nation” – should act with caution. He accused Tokyo of exploiting the Taiwan issue to cause instability and threaten China militarily.
The status of Taiwan, administered as a Japanese colony between 1895 and 1945, returns to the center of the narrative debate. Wang said the territory is “unequivocally” part of China, a position contested by Taipei, which says it has never been governed by the People’s Republic of China and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei said only the island’s democratically elected government represents its 23 million people in the international community.
In Tokyo, the Japanese government continued to criticize Chinese behavior in the radar incident. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara called the action “dangerous” and beyond acceptable safety limits. He avoided commenting on reports that China did not respond to calls made through the hotline established between the two countries in 2018.
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