(Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it was “shocking” that Japan’s leader had openly sent the wrong signal toward Taiwan, according to an official statement on Sunday, the latest comments in a dispute that has roiled relations for more than two weeks.
Wang, the highest-ranking 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 Takaichi of trying to intervene militarily in Taiwan. Wang was referring to comments on Nov. 7 in which she said in Parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan, which is democratically governed, could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
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The ensuing dispute, the biggest crisis between China and Japan in years, extended to commercial and cultural relations. On Friday, China raised the issue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, promising to defend itself.
Beijing considers Taiwan its own territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s demands and says only the island’s people can decide its future.
In response to the letter sent to the UN, Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday called China’s claims “totally unacceptable” and said Japan’s commitment to peace remains unchanged.
Speaking to reporters in South Africa after attending the G20 leaders’ summit, Takaichi on Sunday did not mention Wang’s comments or the letter, saying only that Japan remains open to dialogue with China.
“We are not closing the door. But it is important that Japan states clearly what needs to be said,” she said, adding that she had not spoken to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was also in Johannesburg for the meeting.
