This Saturday, Taiwan accused China of exercising “multiple threats” against Japan and endangering regional stability, after the Chinese government warned its citizens to avoid traveling to the Japanese archipelago and announced plans for live-fire exercises in the Yellow Sea from November 17 to 19.
Taiwan Presidential Spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement: Taiwan and Japan “share the values of freedom and democracy” And they maintain a “close and friendly” relationship.
These measures will have “impacts” on Indo-Pacific security, Kuo said, and will require “close cooperation” between Taiwan, Japan and other regional partners to ensure a “free, stable and open” environment.
Mr. Kuo argued that The Chinese government has resorted to “unilateral actions” such as warnings against tourists and military exercises, posing “multiple threats to the region.”
Taiwan’s Presidential Office called on China to “accept its responsibilities as a great power,” stop these actions, and “return to the right path based on international standards.”
The criticism follows recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said that an attack on Taiwan could put Japan in a “crisis situation” and justify intervention by the Japan Self-Defense Forces based on the principle of collective self-defense.
China called Gaoichi’s remarks “extremely dangerous” and responded by summoning the Japanese ambassador in Beijing. He warned that Japan would “pay a painful price” if it intervened in the strait.
Chinese official media on Saturday echoed a maritime notice issued this Wednesday banning live-fire exercises in the waters of the Yellow Sea.
Taiwanese authorities had already insisted this week that Taiwan and Japan maintain a “comprehensive partnership” and “shared universal values.”
China considers the island part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve “unification.”
Meanwhile, China has temporarily suspended navigation in part of the Yellow Sea to conduct live-fire exercises from Monday, November 17 to Wednesday, November 19 as a maritime alert amid rising tensions with Japan.
The notice was announced by the Yancheng Maritime Bureau in eastern Jiangsu province on Wednesday, but was not published in Chinese state media until Saturday this week.
A notification from the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) states that military exercises involving live ammunition will be held for 24 hours from the 17th to the 19th in an area demarcated by multiple coordinates in the central part of the Yellow Sea between China and the Korean Peninsula.
The document orders all navigation within the marked boundaries and asks ships to avoid the area.
Officials did not provide further details, such as the nature of the exercise or the means and types of weapons involved.
Although the exercise targets a considerable distance from the Japanese archipelago, the media announcement coincides with rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
Relations have been strained since the Japanese prime minister’s remarks. Sanae Takaichisaid that an attack on Taiwan could warrant intervention by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
In response, China summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing and warned that Japan would “pay a painful price” if it intervened in the strait.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense explained Gaoichi’s words as follows: “It’s very dangerous.” While pointing out China’s “serious interference” in domestic affairs, state media reported on “signs of a resurgence of militarism” in Japan.
Additionally, comments by the Chinese consul general in Osaka, which were later deleted, called for the Japanese prime minister to be “cut off”, sparking a diplomatic outcry from Tokyo.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a notice on Friday asking its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, citing the “deteriorating security environment” for Chinese residents and tourists in the archipelago.
The Yellow Sea exercises also come in a year that marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, and comes as China intensifies its rhetoric surrounding Japan’s military past and emphasizes historical episodes related to Japan’s invasion.
The Japanese government insists that stability in the Taiwan Strait is essential for national security, while China emphasizes that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of its territory and does not rule out the use of force to achieve reunification.
(according to information from EFE)
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