Tokyo slammed for ambiguity, urged to uphold one-China principle

Beijing slammed Tokyo on Monday for making ambiguous statements and attempting to hollow out the one-China principle, as the fallout from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan continued.

On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, a Japanese official reportedly said that it is "baseless" for China to claim that Japan has changed its position on the Taiwan question. The official also insisted that Japan has explained its "consistent position" to China.

However, on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning questioned the Japanese official's remarks.

"What exactly is the specific content of Japan's so-called 'consistent position'?" Mao asked.

"If the Japanese government really hasn't changed its position on the Taiwan question, it should clearly uphold the one-China principle, and follow the spirit of the four China-Japan political documents and the promises it has made," Mao said.

One of the four documents underpinning China-Japan relations is the China-Japan joint statement that was issued in 1972.

According to the joint statement, the Government of the People's Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the PRC; the Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the PRC, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation. "Why can't Japan fully and accurately reiterate this position?" Mao asked.

Takaichi's erroneous remarks violate the four China-Japan political documents, and have undermined the political foundation of bilateral ties, Mao said.

Mao urged Japan to take China's position seriously, and reflect on, and correct, its wrongdoing.

Japan should deliver on the commitments it made to China with concrete actions, instead of continuing to be obstinate or saying one thing and doing another, she said.