China's Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying on Wednesday night called an urgent meeting with Japanese Ambassador to China Tarumi Hideo to lodge solemn representations over former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's erroneous remarks concerning China.
Hua said that Abe had made extremely wrong remarks on the Taiwan question, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, openly challenged China's sovereignty, and blatantly supported "Taiwan independence" forces.
Abe's remarks seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations and the principles of the four political documents governing China-Japan relations, Hua said. "China is firmly opposed to this."
Noting that Japan had launched a war of aggression against China and committed heinous crimes against the Chinese people in history, Hua said it is absolutely not qualified and has no rights to make irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question.
China strongly urged the Japanese side to reflect deeply on history and learn from history, not to damage China's sovereignty in any ways, and not to send any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" forces, Hua stressed.
The Japanese side was also urged not to underestimate the strong determination, firm will and powerful capability of the Chinese people to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not to go any further down the wrong road, according to Hua.
"Whoever plays with fire will get burnt," she warned.
The Japanese ambassador said that he attached importance to China's representations and promised to immediately report to his own government.
It seems that the war of words between nations regarding Taiwan ceases to abate as the U.S continued its rhetoric regarding the Island nation.
Threats and coercion by China towards Taiwan increase the need for the United States to respond in an "appropriate way", the top U.S. diplomat for Asia said on Thursday.
Assistant Secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, speaking in Singapore during a visit to Southeast Asia, said the U.S. has rock solid obligations to assist Taiwan. He also said Malaysia should do more to combat human trafficking and he had spoken to regional leaders about putting more pressure on the military junta in Myanmar.
(Staff and agencies)
