中文
Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.
Less than three weeks in office, Sanae Takaichi has already crossed Beijing's red line on Taiwan — twice. The Japanese Prime Minister's profound lack of statesmanship and reckless disregard for the intricate diplomatic architectures that for decades have served the stability of China-Japan relations and the geopolitics of Asia are extremely alarming, to say the least.
Following her ill-advised meeting with personnel from Taiwan during the APEC meetings in the Republic of Korea, Takaichi has again ignited a firestorm with her inflammatory remarks on Taiwan. A few days ago, she asserted that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, warranting the exercise of collective self-defense rights.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Takaichi's words hinted at the possibility of military intervention in the Taiwan Strait. China firmly opposes such erroneous remarks and has lodged stern representations with Japan. The State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said Takaichi's egregious remarks on Taiwan gravely violate the one-China principle and brazenly interfere in China's internal affairs, adding that anyone who attempts to challenge China's core interests or obstruct China's reunification will never be tolerated by the Chinese government, people or military.
Even before such remarks were condemned by Beijing, crucial and immediate rebuttal had already arisen from within Japan itself. Opposition parties and foreign policy experts have rightly labeled her comments as "extremely dangerous," accusing her of unnecessarily escalating regional tensions and recklessly deviating from Japan's longstanding policy on the Taiwan question.
Takaichi's rhetoric is not just provocative; it is a direct contravention of the political agreements between China and Japan, as well as of the international law governing the post-WWII order. And it invites grave danger to the security and stability of the region.
The four important political documents between China and Japan – the 1972 Joint Communique, the 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the 1998 Joint Declaration, and the 2008 Joint Statement – have underpinned bilateral relations for half a century. These documents have made explicit provisions on history and the Taiwan question. Specifically, the 1972 Joint Communique explicitly states that the government of Japan "fully understands and respects" the one-China principle of the Chinese government.
Under Japan's controversial legislation for peace and security, passed in 2015, a "survival-threatening situation" refers to a situation in which an armed attack occurs against a foreign country with which Japan has a close relationship, thereby threatening Japan's survival. Taiwan is not a country. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair. By publicly framing a conflict over Taiwan as a "survival-threatening situation", Takaichi is unilaterally dismantling the understanding of the four important political documents between China and Japan and breaching the spirit and letter of these critical diplomatic accords.
Furthermore, Takaichi's remarks betray the post-WWII international order and violate the international law governing such an order. Both the Cairo Declaration in 1943 and the Potsdam Proclamation in 1945 clearly affirmed that Taiwan was to be returned to China, with Japan's Instrument of Surrender in 1945 reaffirming these provisions.
For a senior Japanese politician to now make statements that implicitly challenge the final status of Taiwan is a profound historical irony. Reflecting on the paths Japanese militarism has taken in history, one couldn't help but wonder: instead of drawing lessons, is Japan on its way to repeating past mistakes?
Finally, the most immediate and grave consequence of such irresponsible rhetoric is the active destabilization of the Taiwan Straits and the wider Asian region.
The region across the Taiwan Straits is already one of the world's most volatile flashpoints, where miscalculation or misinterpretation could spiral into open conflict. The people in Taiwan are ill-served by Takaichi's dangerous gambit. It creates a false sense of security, emboldens secessionist forces in Taiwan and discourages pragmatic dialogue and confidence-building across the Straits. Plus, such remarks can potentially increase tensions in Asia in general, sabotaging a stable geopolitical environment that people in the region aspire to, so that they are able to pursue economic growth and social wellbeing.
In all, relations between China and Japan, and security across the Taiwan Straits and the entire region, depend on sober voices prevailing over those who are reckless. For the sake of Asia's future, Takaichi’s brand of perilous politics must be firmly rejected.
