Beijing (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday that trade cooperation between China and Japan has suffered a “great” blow as a result of the Japanese prime minister’s recent comments on Taiwan.
He Yongqian, a spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry, stated at a regular news briefing that China will take the appropriate action if Japan continues down the “wrong” path.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi flashed the most severe diplomatic trouble in years between the two countries when she told Japanese lawmakers this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan endangering Japan’s survival could initiate a military response from Tokyo.
China had also cautioned that there is “no market” for Japanese seafood exports a day earlier, according to CNN.
Could Japanese seafood exports face a full China ban?
“Due to the erroneous remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on important Taiwan issues, there has been strong public outrage in China,”
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning briefed journalists.
“Under the current circumstances, even if Japanese seafood were exported to China, there would be no market for it.”
Mao was responding to statements earlier that day in Japanese media that China had already informed Tokyo that it was prepared to ban seafood exports from Japan.
“Japan should first retract its erroneous remarks and take concrete actions to safeguard the political foundation of China-Japan relations; otherwise, China will have no choice but to take further measures,” Mao added.
How are Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks reshaping China-Japan tensions?
Following Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi’s statement in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute “a situation threatening Japan’s survival” and thus could result in a military response from Tokyo, the two neighbours have been embroiled in a rapidly escalating dispute.
In order to avoid upsetting China, Japan’s largest trading partner, previous Japanese leaders have refrained from discussing Taiwan in relation to a military response.
How did China’s consul-general escalate rhetoric online?
Chinese diplomat Consul-General Xue Jian of the Chinese Consulate-General in Osaka responded by posting on X that “the intruding dirty neck” needs to be severed immediately. Xue included a piece in the post that cited Takaichi’s comments regarding Japan’s possible response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“We have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has lunged at us without a moment’s hesitation,”
Xue Jian stated in a post on X. “Are you ready?” Xue also said in a post that was subsequently deleted.
Beijing has pledged to use force if necessary to seize control of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that it considers its territory. Beijing views Taiwan’s sovereignty as a “red line” that must not be crossed and the most delicate issue in its relations with other countries.
