Envoy slams provocation over Taiwan

Ambassador to Japan urges media to work for stable, mature bilateral ties

Japan was urged to strictly follow the rules established by Beijing and Tokyo, and not to interfere into China's internal affairs, especially on the Taiwan question.

Kong Xuanyou, China's ambassador to Japan, made the remarks on Thursday in his keynote speech at a media gathering held by Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

"Recently, there have been some negative moves within Japan as some politicians make extreme remarks in a bid to interfere with the Taiwan question," Kong said. "This is an intentional provocation against China's sovereignty and we cannot accept it.

"No one should underestimate the resolve, the will and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Kong said the four political documents between China and Japan have established rules for dealing with important issues such as the Taiwan question, and also affirmed important principles including noninterference in each other's internal affairs.

"Now that we have these rules, principles and consensus, we must abide by our promises, we must never go beyond the rules, never go across the line and know what we can do, what we can't so that we can properly handle conflicts and differences," Kong said, adding that fact had proved that as long as the two countries act by earnestly following these rules and principles, bilateral relations will move along a steady and sustained path. Otherwise, things will go wrong.

Kong's remarks came as former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who remains a hugely influential figure in Japan's parliament and heads the largest faction in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said "a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency" during a virtual forum organized by a Taiwan think tank earlier this month.

Given the fact that Japan had colonized the Chinese island for half a century, Abe's remark aroused fierce backlash from Beijing, which led to Japan's ambassador in Beijing being immediately summoned to express dissatisfaction and opposition.

On the Sino-Japanese relationship, Kong said since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office, leaders from both countries have conducted positive interactions, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kishida have reached important consensus that the two countries should build a relationship that meets the requirements of the new era in a phone call in October.

Managing differences

The two sides, Kong said, should "constructively manage differences" amid rising tensions and take the 50th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic ties next year as an opportunity to develop "a more stable, mature bilateral relations toward the next 50 years".

On the massive negative reports by Japanese media on China, Kong said media has always played an important role in the development of Sino-Japanese relations.

"It is hoped that the Japanese media can abandon the stereotypes and prejudices on China, refer to truth and fact, and present a comprehensive, objective and true China to the Japanese society," Kong said.

"Japanese media should live up to their important responsibilities of making positive contributions to the correct understanding of China among Japanese people and to the improvement of Sino-Japanese relations."

Kong said China has always dedicated to building a community with a shared future for mankind and is determined to be a stakeholder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order.

"China and Japan can actively work on this front and carry out third-party cooperation by working together to promote regional interconnection and integration, and bring more benefits to regional countries," Kong added.