Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday lashed out at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for “openly challenging” Chinese territorial sovereignty after the Japanese leader’s remark on a Taiwan emergency heightened bilateral tensions.
Wang, speaking at a symposium in Beijing, also said that Japan has failed to “deeply reflect” on its wartime past, including its invasion of China.
Japan’s current leadership has been “openly challenging China’s territorial sovereignty, the historical conclusions of World War II, and the postwar international order,” Wang said.
Japan invaded a vast swath of China before World War II. The Asian neighbors have been at odds over wartime history among other issues.
Sino-Japanese relations have worsened since Takaichi, seen as a security hawk, said in early November that a Taiwan emergency could be a “survival-threatening” situation for Japan and prompt a response by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
China sees Taiwan as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Wang’s remarks came as China conducted military drills in five areas encircling self-ruled Taiwan in a warning against separatism and external interference. (JapanToday)
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