China demands Japan PM retract Taiwan comments or face tougher economic actions

China and Japan's trade cooperation has been described as "severely damaged" by the Chinese Commerce Ministry on Nov. 20, reported Reuters.

A diplomatic spat stemming from Japan PM Takaichi's comments on Taiwan has escalated into travel warnings and seafood import suspensions, with both sides spewing threats tit for tat.

Takaichi presented a hypothetical situation to parliament on Nov. 7, stating that an attack on Taiwan by China could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Beijing has urged Takaichi to retract her comments or face a tougher response.

'Japan will bear all consequences' states China's Commerce Ministry

The Global Times reported that on Nov. 20, China's Commerce Ministry was asked about Takaichi's comments and their possible economic countermeasures during a press conference.

They stated that Takaichi "openly made erroneous remarks on Taiwan-related issues, fundamentally undermining the political foundation of China-Japan relations". 

He Yongqian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce affirmed China's stance and reiterated demands for Takaichi to retract her comments.

"China urges Japan to adopt a responsible attitude toward history and China-Japan relations, withdraw its erroneous remarks and actions, earnestly fulfill its commitments to China, and create a favourable environment for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries."

The spokesperson followed:

"If Japan insists on going its own way and continues to go further down the wrong path, China will resolutely take necessary measures, and Japan will bear all the consequences."

Takaichi refuses to budge

Reuters reported that Takaichi's spokesperson said her comments on Taiwan did not change existing Japanese policy.

However, Japan is starting to feel the heat.

China is Japan's second-largest export market after the United States, purchasing US$125 billion worth of Japanese goods in 2024.

Seafood import suspensions have already been reinstated on Nov. 19.

This comes mere months after the partial lifting of Beijing's 2023 blanket ban on imports of all Japanese seafood after Tokyo decided to release radioactive water into the Pacific.

The treated discharge from the Fukushima nuclear plant was safe concluded the International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. body.

According to Japan Today, the reimposition had severe effects on the companies clamouring to re-enter a market that once accounted for more than a fifth of Japan's seafood exports.

China was Japan's top scallop buyer and a major importer of sea cucumbers, before the ban in 2023.

On Nov. 18, Japanese Agriculture Minister Norikazu Suzuki told reporters that nearly 700 Japanese exporters had applied to re-register for shipments to China but only three had been approved.

Adding fuel to the fire, Taiwan's President William Lai posted a photo of himself eating a platter of Japanese seafood for lunch on Nov. 20.

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Top photo from Tamas Pap/Unsplash and PM Office of Japan.