Japan, China continue to spar at UN over Takaichi remarks on Taiwan

Fallout continues aft Japanese premier curate said usage of unit against Taiwan would beryllium 'survival threatening' for Japan.

Japan and China person escalated their war of words astatine the United Nations pursuing unprecedented remarks from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi astir Tokyo’s relation successful a imaginable Taiwan conflict.

Japan’s ambassador to the UN wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres connected Thursday, disputing allegations from Beijing that Takaichi had violated “the basal norms governing planetary relations” portion speaking to the Japanese Diet past month.

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“The assertions contained therein are inconsistent with the facts, unsubstantiated, and are categorically unacceptable,” UN ambassador Kazuyuki Yamazaki wrote.

The missive marks the 2nd clip Japan has written to Guterres connected the contented successful arsenic galore months. Both times were successful effect to abstracted letters from China to the UN astir Takaichi.

The dispute began successful November erstwhile Takaichi told Japanese legislators that should China ever usage unit against Taiwan, the determination would represent a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, according to Japanese media.

Taiwan and Japan bash not person diplomatic relations, but they are adjacent neighbours and unofficial allies. Their legislators besides regularly prosecute successful party-to-party meetings.

Still, experts accidental that Takaichi’s comments marked a interruption successful contented for Tokyo, which is typically much circumspect connected Taiwan issues.

“This has been the unofficial presumption of Japan and the unspoken presumption of Japan for galore years, but premier ministers conscionable don’t accidental it [out loud],” Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer successful Japanese studies astatine Kanda University of International Studies, told Al Jazeera.

Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, is claimed by Beijing, which has pledged to 1 time annex it by bid oregon by unit amid an ongoing subject modernisation campaign. Beijing considers issues surrounding Taiwan to autumn wrong its interior affairs.

In summation to the UN letters, a Chinese diplomat successful Osaka implied successful a now-deleted societal media station that Takaichi ‘s caput should beryllium chopped disconnected implicit her remarks connected Taiwan, according to the Reuters quality agency.

Chinese authorities media person besides started posting articles questioning Japan’s claims to Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands, successful what has been described online arsenic “geopolitical trolling”.

Takaichi, similar her precocious mentor Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has advocated for a stronger Japanese subject – known arsenic its “self-defence force” – and revising the country’s post-war pacifist constitution.

While the determination to rearm is inactive arguable wrong Japan, the caller quality with China has helped to rise Takaichi’s popularity, according to Hall.

The Japanese nationalist has been displeased that Beijing has tried to equate modern Japan with its World War II past, helium told Al Jazeera, erstwhile the Empire of Japan brutally colonised ample swaths of East and Southeast Asia.

Fu Cong, China’s imperishable typical to the United Nations, alluded to Japan’s humanities bequest successful his 2nd missive to the UN this week astir Takaichi.

He called Takaichi’s remarks “erroneous”, adding they “openly situation the victorious outcomes of World War II and the post-war planetary bid and represent a superior usurpation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.