China has escalated its widening diplomatic spat with Japan by lodging a formal complaint at the United Nations, accusing Tokyo of threatening “an armed intervention” over the Taiwan issue. China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong wrote a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, denouncing recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a “grave violation of international law” and diplomatic norms. The dispute marks the biggest bilateral crisis between Beijing and Tokyo in years, and is being used by China to rally global support for its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.
The core of the dispute stems from Prime Minister Takaichi’s statement in parliament on November 7, where she suggested that a hypothetical Chinese attack or blockade of Taiwan could be deemed “a situation threatening Japan’s survival.” This legal designation under Japan’s security legislation could potentially allow Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defense and deploy its military. Ambassador Fu Cong warned that if Japan “dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression,” vowing that China would “resolutely exercise its right of self-defence” under the UN Charter.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry quickly dismissed China’s claims as “entirely unacceptable,” maintaining that the country’s commitment to peace remains unchanged and that the remarks reflect national security concerns. However, the crisis has already spilled beyond diplomacy, with China imposing measures such as reimposing a ban on Japanese seafood imports, issuing a travel advisory for Chinese citizens, and reportedly canceling Japanese concerts. China is leveraging the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War Two defeat to invoke historical declarations that it claims support its sovereignty over Taiwan.
