Japan-US ties must not harm China, Chinese envoy warns
- Ambassador takes aim at Tokyo’s ‘dismissive attitude’ on Xinjiang, Taiwan and Hong Kong
- Practical action needed to show goodwill towards Beijing, he says
The warning from Chinese envoy Kong Xuanyou comes after Japan has appeared more vocal in its support for the United States’ efforts to work with its traditional allies to contain China over a range of issues, from human rights to regional security.
“[We] hope Japan, as China’s close neighbour, will uphold its promises, and express basic respect for China’s domestic issues, and stop hurting China’s core interests, and avoid further damaging the bilateral relationship.”
He said China had never asked Japan to pick sides between China and the US, and had never intervened in Japan’s development of relations with the US.
“But the Japan-US alliance must not harm China’s interests,” Kong said.
“We hope Japan will make practical moves that display hopes for developing a stable relationship with China.”
Taiwan, Beijing and the US: has Japan chosen a side?
China and Japan have stressed the need for economic cooperation and trade growth between the two countries but Tokyo has also stepped up its rhetoric against Beijing.
In the past few months, several senior Japanese officials have broken with Tokyo’s traditionally neutral position to show support for Taiwan, prompting Beijing to accuse it of gross interference in China’s affairs. Beijing regards the self-ruled island as a renegade province, to be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary.