A diplomatic conflict between China and Japan is heating up at the United Nations over recent comments by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae.
Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong has sent a second letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling Gao Shi’s remarks about Taiwan the “biggest challenge” to bilateral relations and urging Tokyo to retract them.
Fu Ying’s message came in response to Japanese Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Yamazaki, who last week accused Beijing of “stifling” bilateral engagement and argued in a letter to the United Nations that the Japanese leader’s rhetoric did not go beyond its post-World War II defense posture.
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Sanae Takaichi spoke at her first press conference as Japan’s prime minister. Photo: AFP alt=Takaichi Sanae speaks at her first press conference as Japan’s prime minister. Image source: AFP>
“The biggest challenge at the moment is that Gao Yi’s wrong words and deeds have seriously damaged mutual trust between China and Japan and damaged the political foundation of China-Japan relations.” Fu wrote in a letter to the United Nations Secretary-General.
“If Japan truly seeks to develop stable Sino-Japanese relations, it should clearly reaffirm the one-China principle…immediately withdraw its erroneous remarks and take practical actions to honor its commitment to China. Otherwise, Japan should bear all the consequences.”
Fu Ying’s second letter to the United Nations comes as Beijing continues to take a tough stance against Tokyo, after Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that an attack on the self-governing island could be interpreted as an “existential threat situation” for Japan, which could enable Tokyo to take military action alongside the U.S. military.
Despite weeks of resistance from Beijing, she refused to walk back her remarks.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China and can use force to unify it if necessary. Most countries, including Japan and its ally the United States, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but Washington is committed to providing weapons to Taiwan.
Tokyo said its stance on China had not changed, but Beijing dismissed the statement as “far from sufficient.”
Fu said in his latest letter that the term “existentially threatening situation” “clearly goes beyond his assertion of a ‘passive defense strategy'”.
He wrote: “Historically, Japanese militarism has used the so-called ‘existential threat’ as an excuse to expand its armaments and launch foreign aggression in the name of ‘self-defense.’ This is its usual tactic.”
Fu Ying urged the international community to remain “highly vigilant” against “Japan’s ambitions to expand military capabilities and revive militarism.”
Yamazaki said in a speech on November 24 that Takaichi’s remarks were “based on” Japan’s stance of a “completely defense-oriented passive defense strategy.”
The Japanese diplomat also implicitly criticized Beijing’s tough stance on Taiwan, saying “some countries have been expanding their military capabilities for a long time in an opaque manner” and “trying to unilaterally change the status quo through force or coercion.”
Yamasaki also wrote that Beijing has been “stifling” bilateral cultural and economic exchanges and showing a “negative attitude” towards political-level dialogue with Tokyo.
Beijing postponed two important meetings with Japan and South Korea: a trilateral leaders’ summit originally scheduled to be held in Japan in January, and a ministerial meeting scheduled for last week. The diplomatic coolness has also rubbed off on the public, with China canceling a number of movies, concerts and other cultural events nationwide involving Japanese citizens.
Kyodo News reported that several members of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance, a cross-party parliamentary group, met with Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao on Monday. The organization reportedly told Wu it was interested in sending a delegation to China as early as next month.
According to reports, Japan Business Federation President Tsutsui Yoshinobu also met with Ambassador Wu last week and expressed that the organization is willing to send a business delegation to visit China.
A commentary in the Beijing Daily on Tuesday slammed Japan’s “systemic failure to fully confront its wartime history” after a social media post showed Japanese footballer Kaori Sanma posing with a football card bearing the portrait of Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda.
Onoda held out in the Philippine jungle for 29 years before surrendering in 1974, becoming the last Japanese soldier to surrender in World War II. Upon his return to Japan, he received a hero’s welcome.
Although he killed Filipinos he mistook as enemies while in hiding, he was pardoned by the Philippine government.
Mitoma’s club Brighton & Hove Albion apologized for “any offense caused in China”.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, explore the SCMP app or visit SCMP on Facebook and twitter Page. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
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