China has criticized the Japanese government’s plans to place missiles on an island near Taiwan. This was a deliberate attempt to “stir up regional tensions and provoke military confrontation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.
The current diplomatic conflict between Asia’s two largest economies comes after the Japanese Defense Minister’s announcement that plans to station a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit on Yonaguni Island were “progressing steadily.” This would reduce “the possibility of armed attacks against our country,” Shinjiro Koizumi said at the weekend.
China sees the region facing “disaster”
Yonaguni Island is about 110 kilometers off the east coast Taiwanon the side of the island nation far from China. The Chinese government does not recognize Taiwan and considers the island a breakaway territory. Its stated goal is to annex Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China. Recently, there have been repeated Chinese threats and incidents in the Taiwan Strait.
China sees Japan’s deployment of missiles off the coast of Taiwan as a provocation. “Right-wing forces (…) are leading Japan and the region into disaster,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao. China is “determined and capable of protecting its national territorial sovereignty.” However, the Taiwanese government supports this step Japan. As a sovereign state, the country has the right to protect its security, said Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu.
A diplomatic crisis is imminent
An increasingly complex diplomatic crisis has been escalating between China and Japan for weeks. In addition to the ongoing territorial and political disputes, recent statements by new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi were the trigger. He said a possible Chinese attack on democratic Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan.
Japan, which has largely adhered to pacifist beliefs since its defeat in World War II, has slowly deviated from this position in recent years. This development was triggered, among other things, by China’s increasingly aggressive claims to power in the region. Japan recently activated its air force on Yonaguni island due to alleged sightings of Chinese drones.
The Chinese government responded to Takaichi’s comments with sharp criticism in state media, a ban on Japanese seafood imports, and a travel warning. In mid-November, China’s Defense Ministry warned Japan of a “devastating” military defeat if it intervened militarily in Taiwan’s case. Japan sent a senior diplomat to defuse the dispute.
