Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated her nation’s long-held position that it understands and respects China’s view on Taiwan, a comment that some Chinese social media users saw as an attempt to walk back her recent remarks.
“The fundamental position of the Japanese government regarding Taiwan remains unchanged from that stated in the 1972 Japan-China joint communique,” Takaichi told the country’s parliament on Wednesday.
She was asked whether there has been any shift in the official stance that Japan respects China’s view that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of its territory,” without specifically agreeing to the “one China” principle.
Photo: Bloomberg
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yesterday morning, the phrase “Sanae Takaichi finally relented” was the No. 1 trending topic on Sina Weibo.
Some users saw Takaichi’s latest comments as a sign she is backing down, although others said more clarity is still needed.
Takaichi last month said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could mean a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, implying that her country could deploy its military with other nations in that scenario.
Since then, Tokyo and Beijing have been embroiled in a spat in which China has taken several economic and diplomatic measures against Japan.
In the joint statement that formalized diplomatic relations between the two nations more than half a century ago, Japan said it “fully understands and respects” China’s view that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of its territory, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Since Takaichi spoke on the issue early last month, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi has said multiple times that Japan’s stance has not changed from 1972, but that has not been enough for China so far.
“All the Japanese side has done is dodging the issue by claiming that its position ‘remains unchanged,’” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian (林劍) said on Monday. “We urge the Japanese side to learn the lessons of history, do soul-searching, take seriously what it has heard from the Chinese side, simply retract the erroneous remarks as it should.”
Takaichi has resisted Chinese demands to retract her remarks, saying repeatedly that Tokyo’s position on any security emergency remains the same.
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