ISTANBUL, Nov 18 – China said on Monday that Premier Li Qiang has no plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the G20 leaders meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, due to a diplomatic row over Taiwan, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a news conference that Takaichi’s remarks “seriously violate” the spirit of the political documents between China and Japan and “cause fundamental damage to the political foundation.”
“No matter which political party or figure is in power in Japan, they must uphold and abide by the commitment of the Japanese government on the Taiwan question,” Mao said, urging Tokyo “to be responsible for the history and its relations with China.”
“Stop crossing the line and playing with fire, retract the wrongful remarks and deeds and honor its commitments to China with real actions,” she added.
“Japan should correct its wrongdoings to avoid the further undermining of the bilateral relations,” Mao said, on Beijing’s travel advisory to Chinese nationals urging against visiting Japan.
Takaichi earlier this month said that any Chinese military action against Taiwan — including a naval blockade — could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation,” enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
On Friday, China called on its nationals to avoid visiting Japan following Takaichi’s remarks amid rising tensions between the two countries, citing “multiple criminal offenses and incidents of attacks against Chinese nationals in Japan this year.”
Japan lodged a protest Saturday with China after Beijing advised its citizens to avoid visiting the neighboring country.
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism also advised its citizens on Sunday to avoid traveling to Japan.
According to Kyodo News, several major Chinese travel agencies also halted sales of Japan trips. – Anadolu Ajansi
