China protests Japan defence white paper on Taiwan — SkimNews
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- China's Foreign Ministry said on Aug 5 it formally complained to Japan over Tokyo's defence white paper, accusing Japan of playing up the Chinese threat and making "unwarranted comments" about Taiwan.
- The Japanese white paper, released Aug 4, claims China has intensified military activities around Taiwan and states the "overall military balance between China and Taiwan is rapidly tilting in China's favour."
- China declared Tokyo has no right to comment on Taiwan, calling it "purely China's internal affair," and urged Japan to stop seeking "excuses for military expansion" while calling on the international community to curb Tokyo's remilitarisation.
- Japan-China ties sank to their worst level in years after PM Sanae Takaichi said in November that Japan could deploy its Self-Defence Forces if a Chinese attack on Taiwan also threatened Japan's survival — a remark Beijing demanded she retract.
- Japan's government framed its military build-up in the white paper as a route to greater prosperity, arguing arms production can support economic growth.
Why it matters: The diplomatic flare-up centres on Taiwan, with China rejecting any Japanese commentary on the issue and Japan justifying its military expansion as both a security necessity and an economic growth driver. The white paper's publication reignites the post-Takaichi tension and gives Beijing a fresh platform to characterise Japan's rearmament as regional destabilisation.
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