TOKYO
As tensions over Taiwan persist, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed that Tokyo’s commitment to “mutually beneficial” ties with China remains “unchanged,” Kyodo News reported on Friday.
However, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that Japan should “uphold spirit of four political documents between China and Japan, correct wrongful remarks and wrongful doings, and take practical steps to honor its commitments to China.”
Takaichi’s statement came after a volley of protests and restrictive measures taken by Beijing following remarks by the Japanese prime minister over Taiwan, which China claims as its “breakaway province.”
Elected just last month, Takaichi had said any Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan under its security legislation, possibly allowing it to “exercise the right of collective self-defense.”
Beijing blasted Takaichi’s remarks, which came days after she met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum early this month.
Referring to her meeting with Xi, Takaichi said Friday that the promotion of strategic and “mutually beneficial” ties with Beijing, as agreed with Xi, remains “unchanged.”
Japan has been “consistent” regarding how to judge a survival-threatening situation, she added, stressing that the government would “comprehensively evaluate all information, based on the specific and concrete circumstances that actually arise.”
During their meeting in South Korea’s southeastern city of Gyeongju, Xi had urged Takaichi to abide by and fulfill “clear provisions on major issues” to ensure “that the foundation of China-Japan relations is neither damaged nor shaken.”
Following Taiwan remarks by Takaichi, tens of hundreds of Chinese tourists have cancelled trips to Japan, while Tokyo said Beijing was also imposing a ban on seafood imports.
Beijing also postponed a trilateral meeting of culture ministers with South Korea and Japan, with Tokyo criticizing the decision.
