The diplomatic spat between China and Japan’s new prime minister took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when an influential Chinese state media outlet said Sanae Takaichi may have to “pay a price” for her comments on Taiwan.
Yuyuan Tantian, a blog affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV that is often used to send foreign policy signals, called Takaichi a “political opportunist” who is hyping up the Taiwan issue as an excuse to strengthen the political control of her minority government and expand Japan’s military budget.
The diplomatic spat between China and Japan’s new prime minister took a turn for the worse on Wednesday when an influential Chinese state media outlet said Sanae Takaichi may have to “pay a price” for her comments on Taiwan.
Yuyuan Tantian, a blog affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV that is often used to send foreign policy signals, called Takaichi a “political opportunist” who is hyping up the Taiwan issue as an excuse to strengthen the political control of her minority government and expand Japan’s military budget.
“How dare Takaichi make a comment like that? Did she get kicked in the head by a donkey?” the blog post said, using a Chinese slang that roughly translates to being stupid.
“If Takaichi keeps crossing the line and talking crap, she might have to pay a price,” it stated.
The complicated relationship between Tokyo and Beijing is already beginning to sour less than a month since Takaichi, a firebrand nationalist and a China hawk, took office. Takaichi is a strong supporter of Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party claims as part of its territory, and visited the island democracy several times as a lawmaker, most recently in April.
The flare-up began last Friday, when Takaichi said during a parliamentary session that a hypothetical Chinese military attack on Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. This could trigger a military response from Japan, whose armed forces technically exist only for self-defense, a remnant of the post-World War II pacifist constitution.
Her comment caught attention because it appeared to veer from the long-standing Japanese — and American — policy of maintaining “strategic ambiguity” when discussing potential military involvement over Taiwan, even as Tokyo has taken an increasingly hard-line approach toward China in recent years.
On Monday, Takaichi said she would be careful not to comment on specific scenarios in the future. But she refused to retract the comment, saying it is consistent with the Japanese government’s stance — a reference to a 2015 Japanese security law that allows the Self-Defense Forces to deploy if Japan faces a “survival-threatening situation.”
The situation quickly spiraled, with China’s consul general in Osaka, Xue Jian, posting Takaichi’s remarks on X with a comment that “the dirty neck that stuck itself out must be cut off without a moment’s hesitation.”
The post was later deleted, but Japanese lawmakers from across the political spectrum denounced Xue’s post as “extremely inappropriate.” Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo has repeatedly asked Beijing to take “appropriate action.”
Instead, Beijing defended Xue’s comments. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Monday that Takaichi had “blatantly made wrongful remarks on Taiwan,” and expressed strong protests against her statement.
“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. How to solve the Taiwan question and achieve reunification is China’s own affair that doesn’t tolerate any foreign interference,” Lin said. “Where exactly does Japan want to take its relations with China?”
Takaichi’s comments come as she vows to strengthen Japan’s military capabilities, including accelerating Tokyo’s timeline for increasing defense spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product.
But she is also mindful of Tokyo’s economic relationship with China, Japan’s biggest trading partner, during a time of mounting challenges at home.
Less than two weeks ago, Takaichi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for the first time on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea and agreed to pursue a “constructive and stable” relationship.
But the two nations have long had a history of mistrust and hostility, particularly over Imperial Japan’s militaristic past. And some members of Takaichi’s cabinet belong to a bipartisan lawmakers’ group friendly to Taiwan, including Kihara, the chief cabinet secretary.
Takaichi’s key political backers and her mentor, the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, support a more robust defense of Taiwan from both the United States and Japan in case of a Chinese attack.
The 2015 security legislation partially allowed Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense, in addition to defending itself in response to a direct attack. That means that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces could respond if a country with a close relationship with Japan is attacked, it poses a clear danger to the survival of Japan and threatens Japanese nationals.
Takaichi’s remarks at the parliamentary session referred to the right of the Self-Defense Forces to engage in the use of force alongside the U.S. military in the case of Chinese efforts to bring Taiwan under its control, such as through deploying battleships or using military force.
Wary of China’s growing military assertiveness, Japan in recent years has made notable moves to bolster its defense, including acquiring “counterstrike” capabilities, or the ability to hit enemy bases with long-range missiles and coordinate with the U.S. in such circumstances.
Japan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but has strong unofficial and economic ties with the island, formerly a Japanese colony.
The Chinese Communist Party, which has never ruled Taiwan, claims the democratic island as its own territory, and says it will take Taiwan by military force if necessary. Japan supports “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait, saying it is important for the security of Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Yasuhiro Kawakami, a security expert at the Tokyo-based Sasakawa Peace Foundation, said he does not think Takaichi intended to escalate the incident any further, especially given the economic relationship between the two nations, and that her remarks reflected her long-standing views on a strong defense for Japan.
It would also be in Beijing’s interests to keep its rhetoric in check, Kawakami said.
“Going forward, I expect that China will refrain from further reactions,” Kawakami said. “Given the very tense U.S.-China relations, there is a fundamental desire [by the Chinese] to improve Japan-China relations. Pushing Japan too closely into the U.S. camp would not be in China’s interest either, and I believe China will recognize that.”
But Ren Xiao, a professor of international politics at Fudan University in Shanghai, said reactions from the Chinese side reflect underlying skepticism about the new Japanese leader.
“Reactions have been quite strong on the Chinese side, and I guess we didn’t try to hide how we cannot stand [her],” Ren said.
The Chinese official in Osaka may have realized his now-deleted post on X could have been too harsh, Ren said. But both sides need to recognize that emotional and inflammatory comments will only escalate the situation even more, he said.
“A spat like this is certainly not going to lighten the mood for China-Japan relations. If Takaichi refuses to read the room and doubles down on her unpleasant comments, of course the Chinese side won’t hold back either,” Ren said.
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