In a formal statement issued on Friday, China has called on Japan to acknowledge and correct its recent missteps, urging Tokyo to implement tangible measures to protect the long-standing political foundation that underpins bilateral relations between the two nations.
The development comes immediately after Japan’s cabinet released its widely-watched annual Diplomatic Bluebook this Friday, which included a notable downgrade in how Tokyo characterizes its relationship with Beijing. For multiple years prior to 2025, Japan had referred to China as “one of Japan’s most important bilateral relations”; this year, the wording was revised sharply to only “an important neighbor.”
Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that the root of the current strained trajectory in China-Japan relations can be traced directly to inaccurate and harmful remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding the Taiwan question.
Mao emphasized that these inappropriate remarks have not only severely damaged the core political foundation that has allowed constructive China-Japan engagement for decades, but also pose a clear challenge to the rules-based post-WWII international order that regional stability depends on.
Closing her remarks, the spokesperson reiterated that Japan must abide by the four core political agreements signed between the two countries and honor all binding commitments Tokyo has already made to bilateral relations, in order to reverse the current downward trend in ties and prevent further escalation of tensions.