China, Japan maintain talks to tone down tensions over PM Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan

Officials from China and Japan on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) held talks in Beijing to tone down tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s latest remarks on Taiwan, which led to a pointy deterioration in bilateral ties.

Liu Jinsong, Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, held consultations with Kanai Masaaki, Director-General of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning instructed the media.

During the talks, China urged Japan to withdraw its wrongful remarks and cease creating bother on China-related points, she stated. The Japanese facet should instantly withdraw its wrongful remarks, deeply replicate on itself and proper errors, and provides the Chinese folks a transparent account, Ms. Mao stated.

Referring to reviews that Japan plans to change the ranks of its Self-Defence Forces and revert to make use of then Imperial Japanese Army rank titles, Ms. Mao stated China won’t ever permit the resurgence of Japanese militarism, nor will China permit anybody to problem the post-war worldwide order and undermine international peace and stability ever once more.

She dismissed Japanese protests of Chinese coast guard ships patrolling the disputed waters of the East China Sea, saying that patrolling in China’s territorial waters is lawful, justified, and past reproach.

China doesn’t settle for Japan’s unreasonable representations, and has rejected them on the spot, and has lodged representations countering it, she stated.

The flare-up of their bilateral ties occurred after Ms. Takaichi, thought to be a China hawk, instructed a parliamentary committee on Nov 7 {that a} Chinese navy assault on Taiwan may very well be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which might train its proper to collective self-defence.

Besides lodging diplomatic protests, China, which is the biggest supply of vacationers to Japan with about 7.4 million journeys this 12 months, has requested its residents to keep away from travelling to Japan, which resulted in a spate of cancellations of Chinese vacationers.

Reports from Japan stated that by their talks, Tokyo goals to calm the diplomatic spat that has begun to have an effect on tourism, training and leisure sectors between the 2 neighbouring nations.

China, which considers Taiwan as a part of its mainland, has demanded Takaichi retract her remarks. Beijing maintains that the Taiwan subject is only an “internal affair.” In talks with Mr. Liu, Mr. Kanai was anticipated to emphasize that Ms. Takaichi has not modified Japan’s place as acknowledged in a 1972 joint communique, Japanese information company Kyodo reported, quoting the federal government sources.

In the doc, Tokyo recognised the People’s Republic of China as the only real legit authorities of China, switching its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan.

Communist-led China and democratic Taiwan have been ruled individually since they break up in 1949 following a civil warfare.

Mr. Kanai was additionally prone to elevate the difficulty of a social media put up by Chinese Consul General Xue Jian in Osaka, who, in obvious anger over Ms. Takaichi’s remarks, threatened to “cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation.” In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated Tuesday Japan is “open to all kinds of dialogue” with China, in accordance with the Kyodo report.

His feedback got here a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated Premier Li Qiang doesn’t plan to fulfill with Takaichi in South Africa, the place the two-day Group of 20 leaders’ summit is ready to happen from Saturday.

Chinese media reported Monday on the postponement of two Japanese movie releases in China, initially scheduled for later this week and early December.