Japan urged to understand 'sensitivity' of Taiwan question

China hopes people from all sectors in Japan will fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question and take concrete actions to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a senior Chinese official said.

At an event sponsored by the Japan-China Society in Tokyo on Wednesday, Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and affects the national sentiments of all Chinese people.

It is at the core of China's interests and forms the foundation of China-Japan relations, he said, adding that successive Japanese governments have maintained an unchanged stance on the Taiwan question, adhering to the one-China principle, which China appreciates.

However, some people in Japan have sensationalized the notion that "a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency", distorting the Chinese central government's Taiwan policy and even advocating for Japan to fight for the Chinese island, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao said at a symposium in Tokyo on May 20.

China urges Japan to honor its commitments and cease provocative actions regarding China's Taiwan region, Wu said.

Liu said conflicts and differences between countries are inevitable, and handling them tests the breadth and wisdom of the parties involved. He stressed that the key is not to touch each other's bottom line.

China hopes that Japan will continue to follow the path of a peaceful nation. The Asia-Pacific region is a high ground for peace and development. If conflict erupts, the cost will ultimately be borne by the countries in the region, Liu said.

"China and Japan have a responsibility to be stabilizers of peace and security. We should jointly uphold the bottom line of peaceful coexistence, oppose ideological confrontation and geopolitical conflict, avoid choosing sides and forming alliances, and reject inciting a new Cold War and an arms race," he said.

Broader perspective

He hopes that Japan can establish a correct understanding of China with a broader perspective, grasp the tone of a correct China policy, and continue to join hands with Beijing to be partners in maintaining world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

On Wednesday, Liu also met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and leaders of the ruling and opposition parties.

Kamikawa said the two countries must make progress on various issues and pending matters and achieve tangible results in areas of cooperation. This cannot be separated from multilevel personnel exchanges. She said she hopes for an early realization of reciprocal visits between the foreign ministers of Japan and China.

In recent years, high-level exchanges between Japan and China have decreased, said Shin Kawashima, a professor of the Department of International Studies at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He hopes for more high-level meetings, hotlines, and other communication channels and mechanisms.

"I also hope that the dialogue held during Liu's visit to Japan will be used as an opportunity to expand people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan. Although various kinds of information can be found online, face-to-face communication is better as it can reduce misunderstandings," Kawashima said.