• Amid backlash, Beijing warns 'there will be no market' for Japanese products in China, says it will take ‘serious countermeasures’ if Takaichi does not retract her remarks

ISLAMABAD / ISTANBUL

China said on Wednesday that it will suspend its seafood imports from Japan amid diplomatic tensions triggered by the Japanese prime minister’s remarks on Taiwan, which sparked a backlash in Beijing.

“Japan previously promised to deliver the responsibility of the aquatic products to China,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference in Beijing.

“This is the precondition for the export of Japanese aquatic products to China, but Japan currently does not fulfill its obligation of supervision and does not provide the basic materials,” Mao said.

The suspension comes amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries after Takaichi said on Nov. 7 that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," enabling Japan to "exercise its right to collective self-defense."

Beijing slammed the statement, urging Tokyo to retract the remarks.

“I would like to stress that recently, the remarks made by the Japanese prime minister have triggered the outrage of the Chinese people. Currently, even if the products are exported to China, there will be no market,” she added.

Mao urged Tokyo to retract the “wrongful remarks” of Takaichi, and take “concrete actions to safeguard the political foundation of the bilateral relations.”

“If Japan refuses to retract those remarks, China will take serious countermeasures and all the consequences will be borne by the Japanese side,” she warned.

Earlier Wednesday, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported that China conveyed to Japan that it will suspend imports of Japanese seafood, citing government sources.

Beijing's decision comes just days after Japanese Farm Minister Norikazu Suzuki said that Japan had resumed seafood exports to China for the first time since Beijing imposed a blanket ban in 2023 over the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Advise against Japan travel

China has advised its citizens against visiting Japan, while Japan's top government spokesman, Minoru Kihara, on Tuesday stressed that Tokyo is "open to all kinds of dialogue" with Beijing.

Thousands of Chinese travelers have canceled plans to visit Japan amid the ongoing tensions, while Beijing has also suspended the release of Japanese movies in China.

After Takaichi's remarks, Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian had written on US social media company X that he would "cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation," triggering a protest by Tokyo.

Japan sent its top Asian affairs diplomat, Masaaki Kanai, to Beijing and during talks on Tuesday rejected the basis of China's travel alert, saying that Japan’s public safety situation “is not deteriorating.”

He also lodged a protest over Xue's social media comments, which have been removed now.

Separately, Japan's Embassy in Beijing also called on Japanese nationals in China "to work to secure their safety ... in view of the situation, including local media reports about the recent bilateral ties.”

Japanese top government spokesman Minoru Kihara has stressed that Tokyo continues to uphold the 1972 joint communiqué, under which Japan recognized China and stated it “fully understands and respects” Beijing’s position that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of its territory.

Japan totally unqualified for UNSC

Addressing the UN General Assembly's plenary meeting on Security Council reform, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said Japan "is totally unqualified" to seek a permanent seat on the Council (UNSC).

Takaichi's remarks on Taiwan "are extremely erroneous and dangerous," said Fu, according to an official transcript of his statement.

"They are an affront to international justice, damage the post-war international order, trample on the basic norms of international relations, and represent a blatant departure from Japan's commitment to peaceful development. Such a country is totally unqualified to seek a permanent seat on the Security Council," said the top Chinese diplomat at the world body.