China is intensifying its campaign to garner international support for criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on potential military intervention in a Taiwan crisis. Efforts to approach countries like South Korea have yielded limited results. Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the comments 'shocking.'
Tensions between Japan and China are escalating over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on a potential Taiwan contingency, which she described during Diet deliberations as a possible 'survival-threatening' situation for Japan. Beijing has launched a broad diplomatic offensive, criticizing the comments as a violation of post-war norms.
On November 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi issued a statement, calling Takaichi's remarks 'shocking' for a sitting Japanese leader to signal military intervention in the Taiwan issue. 'It is a red line that should not have been touched,' he said, adding, 'China must resolutely hit back—not only to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to defend the hard-won postwar achievements secured with blood and sacrifice.'
China is amplifying its message through international bodies and overseas missions. On November 21, UN Ambassador Fu Cong wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asserting that the remarks 'seriously undermine the post-war international order' and represent 'an open provocation' to Asian nations that suffered Japanese aggression. The letter warned that any Japanese armed intervention would prompt China to 'resolutely exercise its right of self-defence' to protect its sovereignty.
Chinese embassies have posted provocative content on X, including an illustration from the Philippines mission depicting Takaichi burning Japan's pacifist Constitution, and a video from Australia highlighting World War II lessons. Beijing has also accused Japan of violating its three non-nuclear principles, claiming at an IAEA board meeting that Japan stockpiles excess plutonium for civilian use—though Japan reports its holdings to the agency, while China has not disclosed figures since 2016.
Japan's Foreign Ministry refuted a Chinese Embassy X post on November 24, which invoked obsolete UN Charter 'enemy states' clauses to justify potential action against Japan for aggressive policies. The ministry noted a 1995 UN General Assembly resolution declaring the clauses obsolete, which China supported.
At the G20 summit in Johannesburg over the weekend, no contact occurred between Takaichi and Premier Li Qiang; they stood on opposite sides in the group photo. Observers warn the dispute could surpass the 2010 Senkaku Islands clash in severity.
A Japan-China friendship event organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya, scheduled for November 29-30 in Fukui Prefecture with nine Chinese officials attending, was canceled on November 23 due to fears of 'damages' from the tensions. China's international outreach, including to South Korea amid its Dokdo/Takeshima dispute with Japan, has gained support only from close allies like Russia.
