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China slams Japan for sending warship through Taiwan Strait

China slams Japan for sending warship through Taiwan Strait

From South China Morning Post · (6d ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • China has strongly protested Japan's recent deployment of a warship through the Taiwan Strait.
  • Beijing views the move as a deliberate provocation and a threat to regional peace and stability.
  • The incident escalates existing tensions between China and Japan, particularly following remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding potential intervention in a Taiwan conflict.

China has issued a stern rebuke to Japan following the passage of a Japanese Self-Defense Force vessel through the Taiwan Strait. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun unequivocally labeled the incursion a 'deliberate provocation,' underscoring Beijing's firm stance on the strategic waterway. This action, occurring shortly after Japan announced its participation in a significant US-Philippine military drill, is seen by China as a clear attempt to interfere in the Taiwan issue and disrupt regional stability.

The entry of a Japanese Self-Defence Force vessel into the strait was a 'deliberate provocation.'

— Guo Jiakun, Foreign Ministry spokesmanChina's official condemnation of Japan's naval passage through the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing has lodged a 'strong protest' with Tokyo, emphasizing that the Chinese military monitored the vessel's passage in accordance with regulations. Guo Jiakun further criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's past remarks suggesting potential Japanese military intervention in a Taiwan conflict, stating that such comments severely damage Sino-Japanese relations. These tensions have been a persistent issue, leading China to implement export restrictions and travel warnings concerning Japan.

The Chinese military has dealt with this incident in accordance with regulations.

— Guo JiakunStating China's response to the Japanese vessel's passage.

From Beijing's perspective, Japan's actions are part of a broader pattern of increasing military assertiveness in the region, often in coordination with the United States. The passage through the Taiwan Strait is not merely a navigational matter but a geopolitical statement that China views with extreme suspicion. The Chinese government maintains that such moves by Japan, especially in proximity to Taiwan, are destabilizing and undermine the hard-won peace and stability that China strives to uphold. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the complex and often fraught relationship between the two East Asian powers, with Taiwan remaining a central point of contention.

The incident once again exposes the dangerous plot of some people in Japan to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait and undermine peace and stability there.

— Guo JiakunInterpreting Japan's actions as a threat to regional security.
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Originally published by South China Morning Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.