China warns Japan of 'heavy price' for any military interference in Taiwan

Japan will "pay a heavy price" if it interferes in the Taiwan Strait by force, a Chinese defense spokesman said on Friday.

Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, issued the warning at an online news briefing in response to the remarks by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Takaichi had said that if the Chinese mainland uses military vessels and other forces against Taiwan, it would cause a situation threatening Japan's survival, and that Japan's Self-defense Force could exercise the right of collective self-defense in accordance with the law.

Jiang criticized that the "erroneous" remarks made by the Japanese leader constituted a gross interference in China's internal affairs, and a serious violation of the one-China principle.

In addition, the remarks also undermined the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and the basic norms governing international relations, he said.

"The remarks have challenged the post-war international order and sent very wrong signals to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," Jiang said.

"Such words are egregious in nature and have caused a very negative impact," said the spokesman, noting that they are "extremely irresponsible and dangerous".

Jiang stressed that the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, which brooks no foreign interference.

"This year, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan," he said.

"Should the Japanese side fail to draw lessons from history and dare to take a risk or even use force to interfere in the Taiwan question, it will only suffer a crushing defeat against the steel-willed Chinese People's Liberation Army and pay a heavy price," the spokesman stressed.