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Why China took Japan criticism to UN twice but did not raise it at G20
Analysts say Beijing views the UN as a platform to ‘anchor’ its position on Taiwan, particularly because it offers a wider reach
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Dewey Simin Beijing
In a span of just four days last week, Beijing’s envoy to the United Nations criticised Japan – and its leader’s comments related to Taiwan – twice.
Fu Cong first said, during a debate on reforming the UN Security Council last Tuesday, that Tokyo was “totally unqualified” to seek a permanent seat on the group, calling Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s earlier comments on Taiwan “brazen” and “provocative”.
Takaichi on November 7 suggested that Japan could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the first time a sitting Japanese prime minister had made such remarks.
On Friday, Fu sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, describing Takaichi’s remarks as “gravely erroneous” and having a “profoundly malicious nature and impact”. It was “the first time Japan has issued a threat of force against China, openly challenging China’s core interests”, he wrote.
However, the issue of Beijing’s position on Taiwan was notably absent from last weekend’s G20 summit in South Africa, an event attended by both Takaichi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
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