PM Takaichi rejects China's demand to retract Taiwan remarks

Japan's Sanae Takaichi rebuffed China's calls to withdraw her comments on Taiwan, saying her government's position remains consistent.

Transcript

00:00Japanese Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi has rebuffed China's calls to withdraw her comments on Taiwan,

00:06saying the government's position remains consistent.

00:09Her statement follows warnings from China's Commons Ministry that Japan could face consequences

00:14if she refuses to retract her remarks.

00:17Takaichi, however, said she wanted to continue to try and improve relations

00:21after she met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea last month.

00:27Tensions rose after Takaichi told Parliament on November 7

00:31that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a Japanese military response.

00:37Beijing said her comments have weakened the political basis of bilateral relations

00:42and disrupted normal economic exchanges,

00:45adding that it would take action if Japan continues on what it described as the wrong path.

00:51A dozen Japanese concerts have been cancelled this week,

00:54and China has banned all Japanese seafood imports due to escalating tensions.

00:59China is Japan's second-largest export market,

01:02purchasing roughly US$125 billion worth of goods in 2024.

01:08Analysts note that Japan may struggle to shift exports elsewhere,

01:12as South Korea bought only US$46 billion last year.