China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told his German counterpart Johann Wadephul that Japan is posing a military threat to China, escalating tensions between the two neighboring powers.
Wang’s remarks came after Japan accused Chinese fighter jets of locking their targeting radars onto Japanese military aircraft — an action Tokyo condemned as dangerous and provocative, according to Reuters.
China, however, rejected the accusation, claiming that Japan’s aircraft repeatedly approached the Chinese navy during ongoing military exercises, prompting the Chinese response.
Background of Escalating Tensions
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply over the past month. The decline began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned that Japan could respond militarily to any Chinese attack on Taiwan if such an action also endangers Japan’s security.
Wang criticized Japan’s stance, urging Tokyo to act with greater caution.
“Japan’s current leadership is attempting to exploit the Taiwan issue — a territory it colonized for half a century, committing countless crimes against the Chinese people — to provoke problems and militarily threaten China. This is completely unacceptable,” Wang said, as quoted by China’s state news agency Xinhua.
He added that Taiwan’s status as Chinese territory is supported by clear and irreversible historical and legal facts.
Taiwan’s Position
Taiwan’s government, which rejects Beijing’s territorial claims, has repeatedly accused China of distorting history, noting that the People’s Republic of China did not exist in 1945. Taiwan’s official name remains the Republic of China.
