Beijing accused Japan of 'deliberate provocation' after the destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait on Friday, undermining peace and stability. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China lodged a strong protest with Tokyo, while the military tracked and handled the incident in accordance with regulations. Japan's Self-Defense Forces declined to comment.
The JS Ikazuchi transited the strait from 4:02 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. on Friday. China's naval and air forces tracked and monitored the vessel throughout, according to a military spokesperson.
At a Friday press briefing, Guo Jiakun called the transit a 'display of force' and 'deliberate provocation,' marking 'mistake upon mistake' that threatens China's sovereignty and security. It 'once again exposes the dangerous plot of some people in Japan to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait and undermine peace and stability there,' he added. China firmly opposes the move. The destroyer was previously said to join a military drill.
Relations have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing in November with remarks suggesting Japan could respond militarily to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan. China views Taiwan as its territory, rejecting Taipei's claims, and calls the issue a 'red line' in diplomacy. It asserts sovereignty over the strategic strait.
China previously tracked an Australian warship through the strait in February, state media reported. Japan's Self-Defense Forces declined to comment on the transit.