As Tokyo moves to downgrade status of China ties, Beijing moves to blame Japanese PM

As Tokyo moves to downgrade the description of ties with Beijing in its annual diplomatic report, mainland China says the Japanese prime minister’s “erroneous remarks on Taiwan” are the root of their current tensions.

Japan will describe China in its 2026 diplomatic bluebook as an important neighbour, and the relationship as “strategic” and “mutually beneficial”, Reuters reported on Tuesday. In the diplomatic bluebook last year, ties with China were characterised as “one of Japan’s most important bilateral relations”.

Japanese PM ‘open’ to talks with China

When asked by the media about the change, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press briefing on Tuesday that Tokyo was to blame for the current state of ties.

“The root cause for the current situation in China-Japan relations is [the] Japanese prime minister’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, which raised outrage among the Chinese people and breached the red line in post-war international order,” he said.

Tensions flared in November when Takaichi, who had become prime minister in October, told Japan’s parliament that the use of military force by Beijing against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” that could prompt Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defence.

It was the first time a sitting prime minister had made such remarks and was a stark shift from the ambiguity of her predecessors.

She later clarified that Japan’s policy on Taiwan remained unchanged and stated that she would not respond to hypothetical situations in future. However, Beijing has repeatedly demanded her remarks be retracted.

South China Morning Post