Chinese Foreign Minister asks Japan to ‘correct its mistakes’ amid spat

DUSHANBE(Kyrgyzstan): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Japan to reflect on and correct its mistakes as soon as possible, rather than stubbornly clinging to the wrong path, Xinhua reported.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a media interview after concluding his visit to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

“If Japan persists in its own way and keeps making the same mistakes, all countries and people who advocate justice have the right to re-examine Japan’s historical crimes and have the responsibility to resolutely prevent the resurgence of Japanese militarism,” Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

Noting that firm mutual support on core interests is an inherent part of the China-Central Asia community with a shared future, Wang said China is willing to be a steadfast supporter and strong defender of peace, stability and development in Central Asia. China opposes any interference in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries and will never allow anyone or any force to create division or turmoil, he emphasized.

Wang said he briefed the foreign ministers of the three countries on China’s principled position regarding the Taiwan question and exposed the wrongful words and actions of Japan’s current leader, which have openly infringed upon China’s core interests and challenged the post-World War II international order.

He said that Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have openly emphasized that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. They oppose any form of “Taiwan independence” and firmly support all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification, as per Xinhua.

China on Friday took its feud with Tokyo over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Taikachi’s recent comments on Taiwan to the United Nations, as tensions between the East Asian neighbours deepened and ties plunged to their lowest since 2023, as per Al Jazeera.

“If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression,” China’s permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, wrote in a letter on Friday to the global body’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, referring to the strait that separates mainland China from self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing insists belongs to China. Beijing has not ruled out the possibility of forcibly taking Taiwan, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI)