FM reiterates stance towards Japan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected the premise that the Asia–Pacific region is becoming increasingly unstable, when answering a question about it on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference "China Session".

"Look around the world — only Asia has largely remained peaceful," he said, adding that even the recent local conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border was quickly resolved through joint efforts, including China's contribution.

"China has become a pillar of peace in Asia and will continue to play a constructive role in maintaining regional stability," he said.

Wang cautioned, however, against dangerous developments in Japan. He highlighted comments by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi claiming that a Taiwan contingency would constitute a "crisis of survival", justifying Japan's exercise of collective self-defense, the first such public statement by a Japanese leader in 80 years.

Wang called the remarks a direct challenge to China's sovereignty and the postwar international order, and said they breach Japan's political commitments to China. "China cannot accept this, and neither can 1.4 billion Chinese," he said.

Wang contrasted postwar Germany and Japan, noting that Germany fully addressed its Nazi past and banned Nazi propaganda, while Japan continues to enshrine Class A war criminals in shrines, with politicians regularly paying respects to them. He said this failure to confront history is the root of ongoing problems.

Wang warned that Japan's statements on Taiwan reveal lingering ambitions of aggression and a revival of militarism. "History is not far away," he said, warning that if Japan does not repent, it will only risk repeating past mistakes. "All peace-loving countries must warn Japan that retracing this path will bring self-destruction, and any gamble will end in faster and harsher defeat," he said.