China on Monday condemned Japan’s plan to station missiles on an island close to Taiwan, accusing Tokyo of deliberately seeking to “stir up regional tensions and incite military confrontation.”
Escalating Diplomatic Crisis
The remarks come amid their worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
“Right-wing forces in Japan are… leading Japan and the region toward disaster,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press briefing.
The comments followed Sunday’s remarks by Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi that plans were “steadily moving forward” to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit at a military base on Yonaguni, an island about 110 km (68 miles) off Taiwan’s east coast.
“The move is extremely dangerous and should raise serious concerns among nearby countries and the international community,” Mao said on Monday, especially in the context of Takaichi’s earlier remarks.
Military Warnings
In mid-November its defence ministry warned Japan of a “crushing” military defeat if it used force to intervene over democratically-governed Taiwan.
In Taipei on Monday, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu told lawmakers that Japan, as a sovereign nation, had the right to take steps needed to protect the security of its territory, pointing out how close Yonaguni is to Taiwan.
“Japan’s strengthening of its relevant military facilities is basically helpful to maintaining security in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.
“So, of course, this is helpful to our national interests as Japan has no territorial designs or hostility towards Taiwan.”
On Sunday, Koizumi said the missile deployment aimed to protect Yonaguni, adding, “We believe that having this unit in place will actually lower the chances of an armed attack against our country.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
