China–Japan tensions spike after Beijing warns of “crushing defeat” over possible Taiwan intervention
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "China–Japan tensions spike after Beijing warns of “crushing defeat” over possible Taiwan intervention")
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (L) with Chinese President Xi Jinping Photograph: (AFP (File Photo)
China and Japan exchanged sharp warnings after Tokyo hinted it could aid Taiwan militarily. Beijing threatened severe consequences, escalating tensions as Japan faces growing security concerns and reviews its defence posture.
Ties between China and Japan worsened after Beijing’s defence ministry on Friday (Nov 14) warned that Japan would face a “crushing defeat” by the Chinese military if it attempted to use force to intervene over Taiwan. On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry issued a similar threat, stating that any Japanese military involvement in the Taiwan Strait would be regarded as “an act of aggression.”
"Should the Japanese side fail to draw lessons from history and dare to take a risk, or even use force to interfere in the Taiwan question, it will only suffer a crushing defeat against the steel-willed People's Liberation Army and pay a heavy price," Jiang said in a statement, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesperson, Jiang Bin said in a statement.
Takachi's remarks
The Asian neighbours, who have been at odds with each other through the course of history, have been locked in an escalating war of words this week, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan in Parliament.
Her comments on November 7 were widely interpreted as implying that an attack on Taiwan, which is just 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the nearest Japanese island, could warrant Tokyo's military support.
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If a Taiwan emergency entails "battleships and the use of force, then that could constitute a situation threatening the survival (of Japan), any way you slice it," Takaichi told parliament.
"The so-called Taiwan contingency has become so serious that we have to anticipate the worst-case scenario," said Takaichi.
Japan's self-imposed rules say that it can only act militarily under certain conditions, including an existential threat.
Wang Hung-jen, a political analyst at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, said the comments "sent a very strong message to China: Japan is no longer just standing by and watching".
The Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday called on Japan to "retract the unjustified remarks", warning otherwise that the "consequences... must be borne by the Japanese side".
Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory and insists it can use force to reunify the island if required. While most nations, including Japan and the United States, do not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent country, Washington opposes any move to seize the self-governed island by force and continues to provide it with military support.
