In the countdown to a summit, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke by phone with South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun on Wednesday, invoking Japan's colonial past to rally support for Beijing's stance on Taiwan. Wang accused certain Japanese political forces of seeking to reverse history and whitewash crimes of aggression and colonialism, according to China's foreign ministry. The day before, he had warned that Japan's current leader had publicly challenged China's sovereignty and urged vigilance against resurgent Japanese militarism.
Wang Yi and Cho Hyun discuss Taiwan and Japan amid summit countdown
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, January 1, 2026, as a prelude to an upcoming summit. The conversation covered Taiwan, Tokyo, and the Korean peninsula, with Wang invoking Japan's colonial history to bolster support for China's position on Taiwan.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang accused 'certain political forces in Japan' of trying to 'reverse the course of history and whitewash [the country's] crimes of aggression and colonialism.' He expressed belief that 'the South Korean side will uphold a responsible attitude towards history and people, adopt the correct stance and safeguard international justice, including adhering to the one-China principle on Taiwan.'
The remarks followed Wang's warning a day earlier that 'Japan’s current leader publicly challenged China’s sovereignty' and that the world 'must stay highly vigilant to the resurgence of militarism in Japan.'
South Korea has not yet issued a public response to the call's details, but the exchange underscores shifting Northeast Asian diplomacy. China's foreign ministry highlighted such dialogues as key to regional stability. Keywords include Taiwan, Korean peninsula, Japan, South Korea, and China.
Separately, the People's Liberation Army conducted a second day of live-fire exercises around Taiwan, tying into broader Taiwan tensions, though not directly referenced in the call. (148 words)
