TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's (高市早苗) statements suggesting a Taiwan crisis could threaten Japan's survival. China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) delivered the rebuke Wednesday (Nov. 19). The comments strained Sino-Japanese relations and prompted Beijing's strong response.
Zhu called the comments a "provocation against the post-war international order" and "serious disruption" of China-Japan relations. She declared Taiwan a domestic Chinese matter. Zhu urged Taiwanese citizens to recognize dangers from Japan's actions.
Zhu called for Chinese unity against Taiwanese independence and foreign interference. She emphasized protecting the "common homeland of the Chinese nation". The spokesperson stressed safeguarding China's "fundamental interests and security".
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) urged China not to become a regional "troublemaker". Lai advocated for a rules-based international order. Zhu blamed Taiwan Strait tensions on the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP, 民進黨) independence stance and foreign collaboration.