China lodges protest with Tokyo after Japanese military vessel enters Taiwan Strait

China on Friday said it has protested with Tokyo after a Japanese military vessel entered the Taiwan Strait, state media reported.

“The entry of a Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel into the Taiwan Strait severely threatens China's sovereignty and security, and China firmly opposes it and has lodged strong protest with Japan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

He added Chinese military “handled the entry in accordance with laws and regulations.”

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force escort ship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News Agency reported, citing sources.

There was no official statement from Japan about the latest developments in the Taiwan Strait.

The entry of Japanese vessel to the Taiwan Strait “once again exposes the dangerous attempt of certain individuals in Japan to militarily interfere in the Taiwan Strait and undermine peace and stability across the Strait,” said Guo, warning such moves “severely damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations.”

Ties between China and Japan have slid down since last November when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that any Chinese military action against Taiwan – including a naval blockade – could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.

“China once again urges the Japanese side to earnestly reflect on its mistakes, pull back from the brink, exercise prudence in its words and actions, and refrain from going further down the wrong path,” Guo said.