China, Japan embroil in major diplomatic row over Taiwan

Beijing, Nov 10 (PTI) A Chinese diplomat's aggressive comments threatening Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her remarks about Tokyo's potential involvement in any Chinese action over Taiwan have stirred up a major diplomatic row between the two countries.

Japan on Monday lodged a stern protest with China over Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian's social media post in which he threatened to "cut off dirty neck without a moment of hesitation" while citing a news article on Takaichi's remarks in parliament.

"We must say that the post is extremely inappropriate for a Chinese diplomatic mission head," Japan's government spokesman Minoru Kihara was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency, Kyodo.

The post, however, had been deleted, he said.

The flare-up occurred after Takaichi told a parliamentary committee on Friday that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, which could exercise its right to collective self-defence.

Responding to the Chinese diplomat's comments, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jiao told the media here Monday that Takaichi's remarks are "a gross interference in China's internal affairs" and Beijing has lodged a protest with Tokyo.  Declining to comment on the Chinese diplomat's comments, Lin said it was in response to Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan, a “red line” for China.

“I hope Japan will stop creating confusion and shifting blame,” he said.

Since she took over power in Japan last month, becoming the first woman Prime Minister of the country, Takaichi, who is regarded as a hawk in China, is stirring up the Taiwan pot, riling Beijing.

“The situation regarding Taiwan has become serious. We must assume the worst-case scenario," Takaichi told the parliamentary session, highlighting recent aggressive actions by China, which has deployed warships and fighter aircraft in defence drills around Taiwan, closely located near Japan.

Lin said Takaichi’s remarks are “seriously damaging bilateral ties and challenging post-war international order”.   Her remark “constitutes a blatant interference in China's internal affairs, seriously violates the One-China principle".  “What signal does the Japanese leader intend to send to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces with these remarks?” Lin continued.

"Is Japan attempting to challenge China's core interests and obstruct the cause of national reunification? Where exactly does Japan want to take China-Japan relations? he said.

Lin called the "attempt to intervene in Taiwan-related matters … an affront to international justice, a provocation to the post-war international order and a serious disruption to China-Japan relations”.

The diplomatic spat between the two neighbours came soon after the meeting between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct 31 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.

During the meeting, Xi urged Takaichi to uphold important agreements regarding historical issues and Taiwan for the stability of Japan-China ties.

China and Japan are major trading partners with a bilateral trade volume close to USD 300 billion last year.

Their relations frequently experienced tensions over territorial disputes, Taiwan and Japan’s close ties with the US. PTI KJV  ZH ZH