The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday blamed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan for being the root cause of the current situation in China-Japan relations, urging Tokyo to reflect on and correct its mistakes following reports that the latest diplomatic bluebook released by the Japanese government on Friday has downgraded the description of China from the previous “one of the most important bilateral relations” to “an important neighboring country.”
The root cause for the current situation in China-Japan relations is that Takaichi made the erroneous remarks on Taiwan and breached Japan’s commitments, which erodes the political foundation of China-Japan relations and challenges the postwar international order, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on Friday.
The Japanese side needs to abide by the four political documents between China and Japan and its own commitments, reflect on and correct its wrongdoings, and take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations, Mao said.
The annual report, submitted by Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a Cabinet meeting, refers to China as an “important neighboring country,” a step back from “one of the most important bilateral relations” in the 2025 edition, according to a Kyodo News report.
