Chinese ambassador to Japan strongly protests Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding China

TOKYO -- Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao met Japan's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Takehiro Funakoshi on Friday to lodge solemn representations and a formal protest over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks regarding China.

Wu said that Takaichi's blatant and provocative remarks on China's Taiwan during a parliamentary debate violated basic common sense, crossed China's red line, threatened with force, and called for war. Moreover, she refused to admit her mistakes, refused to retract her statements or mitigate the adverse impact. It is a complete misjudgment of the situation and an overestimation of one's own strength.

The remarks constituted a gross interference in China's internal affairs and violated international law, the basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and severely undermined the post-war international order and the political foundation of China-Japan relations, Wu said.

China is strongly indignant and will not tolerate this, and has lodged solemn representations and a strong protest, the ambassador added.

Wu pointed out that Taiwan is China's Taiwan and the Taiwan question is at the very heart of China's core interests. How to resolve the Taiwan question and realize national reunification is a matter for the Chinese people to decide and brooks no interference by any external force. China's national reunification must be and will definitely be fulfilled.

Takaichi administration's clamor for military intervention in the Taiwan Strait is a blatant challenge to China's core interests. It is actively tying Japan to the chariot to divide China, and will ultimately lead Japan to a dead end, said the ambassador.

Wu emphasized that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. Japan committed innumerable crimes during its colonial rule in Taiwan. Japanese militarists have waged aggression more than once under the pretext of "survival-threatening situation," but ultimately suffered shameful defeats.

Wu said that China solemnly warns the Japanese side that today's China is no longer the China of the past. Should the Japanese side dare to use force to interfere in the Taiwan question, it will constitute an act of aggression, and only suffer a crushing defeat. China strongly urges Japan to deeply reflect on its history, retract its egregious statements, and stop its provocations and overstepping behaviors. Otherwise, it must bear all the consequences that follow.