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Alyssa Chen

With Tokyo expected to downgrade the description of ties with Beijing in its annual diplomatic report, mainland China says the Japanese prime minister’s “erroneous remarks on Taiwan” are at the root of their current tensions.
On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said comments by Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi had sparked anger in China and breached a “red line”.
Japan will describe China in its 2026 diplomatic blue book as an important neighbour, and the relationship as “strategic” and “mutually beneficial”, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday.
In last year’s blue book, ties with China were characterised as “one of Japan’s most important bilateral relations”.


When asked to comment on the expected change, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that Tokyo was to blame for the current state of relations.
“The root cause for the current situation in China-Japan relations is [the] Japanese prime minister’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, which raised outrage among the Chinese people and breached the red line in the post-war international order,” he said.
Tensions flared in November when Takaichi, who took office the previous month, told Japan’s parliament that the use of military force by Beijing against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” that could prompt Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defence.
It was the first time a sitting prime minister had made such remarks, in a stark shift from the ambiguity of her predecessors.
Takaichi later clarified that Japan’s policy on Taiwan remained unchanged and that she would not comment on hypothetical situations in the future. However, Beijing has repeatedly demanded that she retract her remarks.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US and its defence ally Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is legally committed to supplying it with weapons.
On Tuesday, Lin urged Tokyo not to go further down the wrong path.
“If Japan truly wants to improve and develop China-Japan relations, it should abide by the full political documents between China and Japan and the commitments made by itself, retract the erroneous remarks on Taiwan as soon as possible, and seriously reflect on and correct its wrongdoings,” he said at the press briefing in Beijing.
According to the 1972 China-Japan joint communique, Japan “fully understands and respects” the People’s Republic of China’s stance that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory.
The shift in tone in Tokyo’s report – expected to be approved by the Japanese government next month – underscores a prolonged deterioration in bilateral ties.
Since November, China has imposed a slew of punitive measures against Japan, including an export ban on dual-use products to end users linked to the Japanese military, the reinstatement of a ban on Japanese seafood imports, an unofficial ban on Japanese performances in China and widespread flight cancellations to Japanese destinations.
The phrase “strategic and mutually beneficial relationship based on common interests” serves as the official baseline for both sides in defining China-Japan relations.
First introduced in 2006, it was intended to emphasise the importance of prioritising shared interests and avoiding deepening confrontation on difficult issues. The term resurfaced in 2023, and has remained in use since.
In last year’s diplomatic blue book, Tokyo stated that the two countries had close economic ties and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
“While there are various possibilities between Japan and China, there are a number of challenges and concerns … Japan will comprehensively promote a ‘Mutually Beneficial Relationship Based on Common Strategic Interests’,” the 2025 report said.


Japan’s deepening rift with China also surfaced in talks between Takaichi and US President Donald Trump last week, when Japan’s first female prime minister visited the US for the first time.
At the start of his meeting with Takaichi, Trump, who has been noticeably silent on the friction, described Japan-China relations as “edgy” and said he would “be speaking Japan’s praises when I’m in China with President Xi [Jinping]”.
For her part, Takaichi told Trump that Japan had been “consistently open to dialogue” with China and addressing its relations with China “in a calm manner”.
Separately, Lin disclosed that a Japanese person claiming to be an active officer of the Japan Self-Defence Forces illegally and forcibly entered the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, and threatened to kill Chinese diplomatic personnel in the name of god.
“China is deeply shocked by this incident and has lodged a strong protest with Japan,” Lin said.
A knife was found at the scene, but no embassy staff were injured, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the incident.


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Beijing says Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “erroneous remarks on Taiwan” are at the root of their current tensions. Photo: AFP

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China

Diplomacy

Tokyo’s annual diplomatic blue book set to describe China ties as ‘strategic’ and ‘mutually beneficial’, a step down from ‘most important’


Tokyo’s annual diplomatic blue book set to describe China ties as ‘strategic’ and ‘mutually beneficial’, a step down from ‘most important’.


Why Beijing is blaming Japanese PM as Tokyo moves to downgrade China ties status

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tokyo’s annual diplomatic blue book set to describe China ties as ‘strategic’ and ‘mutually beneficial’, a step down from ‘most important’

Tokyo’s annual diplomatic blue book set to describe China ties as ‘strategic’ and ‘mutually beneficial’, a step down from ‘most important’