One Year On, Takaichi's 'Taiwan Contingency' Remarks Draw Beijing Criticism: Japan Still 'Going in Circles, Dodging the Issue'

Asked by Japanese media whether China still demands the retraction of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's 'Taiwan contingency' remarks made in a Diet session, which are about to mark their one-year anniversary, and what China's position is on current and future bilateral relations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded: 'Unfortunately, a year has passed and the Japanese authorities are still going in circles, dodging and evading the issue.' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Friday (November 6) in response to a question that China-Japan relations are currently facing serious difficulties, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Japanese side, because one year ago the Japanese leader made erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan, 'openly sending a wrong signal of attempting to intervene in the Taiwan question by force and challenging China's national sovereignty,' which shook the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

Guo Jiakun pointed out that 'the Japanese authorities have never shown the sincerity or taken action to reflect on and correct their mistakes,' and stated that China's position on China-Japan relations has been consistent.

Guo Jiakun stressed that for the Japanese side, what is urgent now is to correct its wrong words and deeds on the Taiwan question as soon as possible, what is important is to adopt a correct attitude on historical issues, and what is fundamental is to truly be objective and rational in its perception of China.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made the 'Taiwan contingency' remarks in a Diet session on November 7 last year, angering Beijing and plunging bilateral relations to a low point, with official and even people-to-people exchanges nearly coming to a halt.

Separately, according to Kyodo News, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, when asked at a press conference on Friday whether he would respond to China's demand to retract the remarks, declined to answer and only said that 'it is the government's consistent position to make judgments based on all information.' On the Taiwan question, Kihara stressed that, as written in the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communiqué in which Japan fully understands and respects China's 'one China' position, there is 'no change whatsoever.' China, which regards the Taiwan question as a 'core interest,' considers Takaichi's remarks to be interference in internal affairs and has consistently demanded their retraction.

Asked about future diplomacy toward China in an interview at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, Takaichi said: 'China is an important neighbor.

I will advance dialogue aimed at protecting national interests and build a constructive and stable relationship.' Asked at a press conference whether Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold talks on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' meeting to be held in China in mid-November, Kihara said, 'I will not make any predictions.'