China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Japan had sent a “shocking” and dangerous signal on Taiwan, warning Tokyo had crossed a red line in comments that have fueled the sharpest rift between the two countries in years.
Wang, the most senior Chinese official to have commented publicly on the issue, said Japan was crossing a red line that must not be touched, according to the statement posted on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.
He accused Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of attempting to intervene militarily over Taiwan. Wang was referring to comments on Nov. 7 in which she told a questioner in parliament that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
The ensuing row, the biggest China-Japan crisis in years, has spread to trade and cultural relations. On Friday China raised the issue with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, vowing to defend itself.
Beijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.
In response to the letter to the U.N., Japan's foreign ministry on Saturday dismissed China's claims as "entirely unacceptable" and said Japan's commitment to peace was unchanged.
Speaking to reporters in South Africa after attending the G-20 leaders' summit, Takaichi on Sunday made no mention of Wang's remarks or the letter, saying only that Japan remained open to dialogue with China.
"We are not closing the door. But it's important for Japan to state clearly what needs to be said," she said. She added that she had not spoken with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was also in Johannesburg for the meeting.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned the letter to the U.N.
"The letter not only contains rude and unreasonable content but also maliciously distorts historical facts," the ministry said in a statement. "Furthermore, it violates Article 2(4) of the U.N. Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations."
Wang said that in responding to Japan's move, "China must resolutely hit back - not only to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to defend the hard-won postwar achievements secured with blood and sacrifice."
If Japan "persists in its wrong course and continues down this path," all countries and people have the right to "re-examine Japan's historical crimes" and "resolutely prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism", he said.
China is Japan's largest export market after the United States, buying about $125 billion of Japanese goods in 2024, mainly industrial equipment, semiconductors and automobiles, according to U.N. COMTRADE data.
