Japan's vague and evasive stance on Taiwan slammed

China blasted on Monday Japan's vague and evasive stance on the Taiwan question, saying it will never accept Japan's attempts to muddle through with words while going down the wrong path with its actions.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently claimed Japan had renounced all rights and claims under the so-called Treaty of San Francisco, and "is not in a position to recognize Taiwan's legal status".

When asked whether this meant Japan does not recognize China's sovereignty over Taiwan, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated the relevant position stated in the "Treaty of San Francisco", adding the Japanese government's basic stance regarding Taiwan is precisely as articulated in the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, nothing more, nothing less.

Japan has been evasive and ambiguous regarding its stance on the Taiwan question, avoiding mentioning the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and Japanese Instrument of Surrender, all of which explicitly stipulated the return of Taiwan to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.

Japan also avoids talking about the four political documents that form the political foundation of China-Japan relations, as well as Japan's political commitment to the one-China principle, Lin said.

Lin said Japan's refusal to even mention these documents, while citing a treaty that deliberately excluded China, the biggest victim of Japan's colonial aggression, revealed the country's disregard for the painful memories of Japanese militarist aggression.

It also constitutes an affront to the historical truth of the world anti-fascist war and an outright challenge to the authority of the United Nations and the postwar international order, Lin said.

Turning back the wheel of history cannot be allowed while the bottom line of peace cannot be crossed, Lin stressed, warning that on major matters of principle, Japan should not try to get away with it.

Lin urged Japan to reflect on and draw lessons from history, take China's demands seriously, and retract its erroneous remarks.

Also on Monday, Lin reiterated that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territory, and the historical context for China's sovereignty over the islands is clear and the legal basis is solid.

He made the remarks after Tokyo's "National Museum of Territory and Sovereignty" added three so-called historical documents to prove the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands, and to justify Japan's illegal claims over the islands. Japan's attempt to collect some selective, unconvincing so-called "historical materials" only further proves its illegal claims are untenable, Lin added.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn