China has issued what amounts to a military threat against Japan if Tokyo intervenes in any conflict over Taiwan.
The stark warning follows escalating diplomatic tensions that erupted between the two nations last week.
The dispute highlights deep-rooted historical tensions between China and Japan, alongside the long-standing “strategic ambiguity” surrounding Taiwan’s sovereignty. Last Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated that Tokyo might respond with military force if China launched an assault on Taiwan.
“If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation,” she stated during parliamentary questioning. It comes after a chilling map pinpointed the 10 safest nations to flee to during a nuclear World War 3.
Japan’s 2015 security legislation defines a “survival-threatening situation” as any assault on allied nations that poses an existential danger to Tokyo. In such circumstances, Japan’s self-defense forces are authorized to deploy and counter the threat.
Beijing responded furiously to these statements, calling them “egregious” and demanding Takaichi withdraw her remarks. When no retraction materialized, China escalated matters on Thursday by delivering a barely disguised military warning to Japan.
During a press conference on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian issued a stern warning to Japan. He stated: “Japan must fully repent for its war crimes, immediately stop its wrong and provocative statements and actions that interfere in China’s internal affairs, and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question. Those who play with fire will perish by it.”
Lin also reminded Tokyo of the historical significance of this year, marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japanese aggression and the recovery of Taiwan.
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He accused Japan of resurrecting militarist language under the guise of national self-defense.
Lin further cautioned that any military involvement from Japan in Taiwan would be viewed as an act of aggression.
“If Japan dares to intervene, China will firmly exercise its right to self-defence under the UN Charter,” he declared.
The longstanding tension between Beijing and Tokyo has roots in a series of armed conflicts in the 1800s and Japan’s brutal military campaign in China during World War II.
AloJapan.com