'Japan... behave' - China rules out G20 meeting with Takaichi: Video
China reaffirmed that Premier Li Qiang has no plans to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during this week’s G20 Summit in South Africa, with the Foreign Ministry urging Tokyo to “behave itself”.
Spokesperson Mao Ning restated that Beijing had already made clear earlier in the week that no bilateral talks were scheduled, despite Japan signalling openness to dialogue at the summit.
Mao criticised Tokyo’s recent comments and actions related to Taiwan, saying Japan should not “say one thing and do another.”
“If the Japanese government's stance on Taiwan truly remains unchanged, its leaders should not link the so-called ‘existential crisis situation’ to the Taiwan issue,” she said. “Merely stating that the position remains unchanged while crossing red lines in practice will not resolve China’s concerns.”
Tensions rose further on Thursday after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te posted a photo of a Japanese-sourced sushi lunch on social media, widely interpreted as a gesture of solidarity with Japan in its current dispute with Beijing.
“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. It is an inalienable part of China’s territory. No amount of posturing by the Lai Ching-te administration can alter this immutable fact,” Mao responded.
The rift has also affected regional cooperation. China has informed South Korea that it will postpone a trilateral meeting of culture ministers with Japan scheduled for this month.
Mao accused Tokyo of “challenging the post-war international order,” making the China-Japan-South Korea meeting “temporarily unfeasible.”
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
