Chinese envoy's threat to Japan's PM over Taiwan draws backlash

Washington, DC [US], November 11 (ANI): Japan has sharply rebuked China after a senior Chinese diplomat made 'violent and threatening' remarks aimed at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, following her comments linking Taiwan's security to Japan's survival.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that Japan's Foreign Ministry and its embassy in China had issued a formal and strong protest, urging an immediate retraction of the statement by Xue Jian, China's consul-general in Osaka.

Kihara condemned the remarks as "extremely inappropriate," stressing that Tokyo demanded "a clear and satisfactory explanation" from China, as reported by The Epoch Times.

The post, which referenced media reports on Takaichi's remarks about Taiwan, was deleted within a day. While Xue did not name the prime minister directly, his words clearly responded to her parliamentary statement that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.

Under Japan's security laws, such a scenario would authorise the use of its Self-Defence Forces to assist an ally, a point highlighted as potentially redefining Tokyo's defence posture.

Takaichi, who took office in October, became the first Japanese leader to make such a bold declaration publicly.

Defending her statement, she told Parliament that her remarks were "a worst-case assumption" aligned with existing national policy.

The incident drew a strong reaction from the United States. US Ambassador George Glass condemned Xue's language, saying it amounted to a direct threat to Japan's leadership.

"The mask slips again," he wrote on X, urging China to "start behaving like the 'good neighbor' it pretends to be," as cited by The Epoch Times.

Taiwan's Presidential Office also condemned the threat, calling it a violation of diplomatic protocol and a reflection of China's habitual intimidation toward democratic neighbours.

China, however, doubled down, with its Foreign Ministry defending Xue and accusing Japan of "provoking instability," as reported by The Epoch Times. (ANI)

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