China has formally raised its dispute with Japan at the United Nations, accusing Tokyo of threatening “an armed intervention” over Taiwan and declaring it will defend itself if provoked.
In a strongly worded letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong denounced remarks by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who had suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could create a “survival‑threatening situation” for Japan — language that Beijing says constitutes a call for military involvement.
“If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention … it would be an act of aggression,” the letter stated, warning that China would “resolutely exercise its right of self‑defence” under the UN Charter and international law.
Chinese officials have called Takaichi’s remarks “provocative” and a blatant violation of the one‑China principle. They also linked her stance to Japan’s military past, saying such statements risk reviving dangerous nationalist ambitions.
This confrontation comes amid broader tensions. Beijing has already imposed economic measures on Japan — suspending seafood imports and issuing travel warnings — steps analysts say are part of a growing campaign to isolate Tokyo diplomatically.
The dispute marks one of the sharpest escalations in China-Japan relations in years, threatening to unsettle regional stability and intensify the strategic rivalry over Taiwan.
