 "Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech in parliament. Reuters")
China has issued a stern warning against Japan’s rhetoric on Taiwan’s independence, saying Tokyo “will suffer a crushing defeat” at the hands of the Chinese military if it tries to use force to intervene.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a diplomatic row with Beijing with comments in parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation” and trigger a military response from Tokyo.
A Chinese diplomat in Osaka sparked a furore for saying “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off” on X, a comment that invited criticism from Japan’s embassy in Beijing.
At the same time, the Chinese Defence Minstry spokesperson Jiang Bin said that Takaichi’s words were extremely irresponsible and dangerous.
“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.
Meanwhile, the Chinese state media is also giving its two cents on the situation with several editorials and commentaries lambasting Takaichi, given lingering grievances about Japan’s wartime past and China’s extreme sensitivity over anything Taiwan-related.
Takaichi’s remarks were by no means an “isolated political rant,” the Communist Party’s People’s Daily said earlier on Friday in a commentary.
Japan has also hit back against the Chinese diplomat’s comments, slamming them as “extremely inappropriate” remarks seemingly directed at Takaichi.
The US ambassador to Tokyo also weighed in, saying China’s Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, had threatened Takaichi. In a post on X on Saturday, Xue shared a news article about Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan and commented, “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off”. The post was later deleted.