Japan demands Chinese diplomat return home amid Taiwan tensions

• Beijing-Tokyo tensions over Taiwan persist, also hitting a trilateral meeting with South Korea

ISLAMABAD/ISTANBUL

The Japanese government has demanded that a Chinese diplomat based in Osaka voluntarily return home as tensions between the two neighbors over Taiwan also hit a scheduled trilateral meeting with South Korea.

During talks with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong in Beijing on Tuesday, Japan's top Asian affairs diplomat Masaaki Kanai raised the issue of a “threatening” social media post by Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

The post, which has since been deleted, came in reaction to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Nov. 7 statement that any Chinese military action against Taiwan, including a naval blockade, could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.

It triggered backlash from Beijing, with Xue tweeting that he would "cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation," drawing a protest from Tokyo.

Kanai briefed Takaichi on his trip and discussions with the Chinese side held in Beijing.

Beijing had demanded Takaichi retract her remarks, and the bilateral ties have taken a spin, with China hitting seafood imports from the world’s fourth-largest economy and also urging citizens against traveling to Japan.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru, however, said Tokyo will continue to call on the Chinese side to facilitate exports.

The ongoing tensions also saw Taiwan urging its citizens to travel more frequently to Japan and purchase Japanese products “in support” of Tokyo.

Trilateral meeting postponed

Addressing questions on tensions with Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday: "Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.”

“During the Japanese occupation, the people on Taiwan island suffered immensely, with hundreds of thousands of compatriots killed; the people were deprived of political rights, freedom of belief, and cultural freedom; and mineral resources and essential supplies were plundered indiscriminately,” said Mao.

She added: "On the Taiwan question, the Japanese government's position should be to adhere to the one-China principle and abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, rather than deliberately creating ambiguity or backtracking on history."

The spokeswoman also confirmed that a trilateral meeting between the culture ministers of China, Japan, and South Korea, scheduled for this month, was also postponed.

Such a meeting cannot proceed, Mao said, referring to the “extremely erroneous” remarks by Takaichi on Taiwan that "have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," according to Beijing-based Global Times.

Mao reiterated that Chinese Premier Li Qiang did not have any plans to meet with Takaichi during the G20 summit in South Africa over the weekend.

US envoy to Japan miffed

US Ambassador to Japan George Glass said on Thursday that China's reaction to Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan was "provocative" and that the economic measures were "coercive," Kyodo News reported.

After meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Glass told reporters that China's moves "are very unhelpful and undermine regional stability."

He said the US was "committed to defending" Japan.

Japan is an old military ally of the US in the region, hosting over 50,000 American troops under a bilateral defense treaty.