Entering its third week, the diplomatic crisis between China and Japan shows no signs of letting up. China has formally brought the issue to the UN, calling Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's comments a "grave violation of international law," while Japan's defense minister visited the country's closest island to Taiwan and confirmed Tokyo's plans to deploy missiles there.
00:00A spat that started two weeks ago shows no signs of letting up.
00:03Japan and China are locked in an escalating diplomatic dispute
00:06after Japanese Prime Minister Takeichi Senai told lawmakers that the country could intervene in an attack on Taiwan.
00:13Beijing claims Taiwan and has never ruled out taking it by force if necessary.
00:17China is now pressing its allies to join it in condemning Japan.
00:21Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Tajikistan,
00:24called Senai's remarks shocking and said she crossed the red line.
00:27He's the highest-level official to comment on the matter so far.
00:31And on Sunday, Japan's Defense Minister visited Yonaguni, the country's closest island to Taiwan,
00:37and announced government plans to deploy missiles there.
00:40For Taiwan, the quarrel highlights how easily the geopolitical peace it hopes to maintain can be tested.
00:54China now looks to push things to the next level.
00:56Last week, its mission to the United Nations wrote a letter
01:00invoking the horrors committed by Japan during World War II
01:02and stating its grounds for attacking Japan if it intervenes in a Taiwan-strait conflict.
01:08China also accused Senai of violating international law.
01:11Experts say the letter is a way for Beijing to make its grievances appear more credible.
01:14China has to move on to Taiwan's hands-on-trait conflict.
01:19My opinion, China is trying to promote the international law in a country-state line.
01:21Of course, China can bring into perspective, China has to move on to Taiwan's or human mandate.
01:35But by turning to the international community, China may be raising Taiwan's profile and encouraging greater cooperation with what the foreign ministry here calls like-minded countries.
02:05That pressure is being felt by both Japan and Taiwan.
02:10In the weeks following Takeichi's remarks, China began and extended live-fire exercises in the Yellow Sea, which borders Japan.
02:17And Taiwan has seen several surges in Chinese military activity near the country.
02:22China has also refused to meet with Japan's delegation at this year's G20 summit in South Africa, though Tokyo says it's still open to dialogue.
02:29And with Beijing now turning to friends and the UN to drum up support, chances of its bat with Japan getting resolved soon look increasingly slim.
Be the first to comment