Chinese airlines have canceled flights to Japan after a sharp deterioration in relations between Asia’s two biggest economies in response to comments Japan’s new prime minister made about the possibility of Japan intervening in a confrontation between China and self-ruled Taiwan.
Why It Matters
Tense exchanges, that have included threats of military conflict between the east Asian neighbors, have economic, diplomatic and security implications for the region and beyond.
Japan is the most important U.S. ally in Asia; it hosts about 54,000 U.S. troops and provides a base for the U.S. to project its military power across the region.
What To Know
The cancellation of Chinese flights to Japan comes after China took steps to impose economic pressure on Japan in response to comments by new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who told legislators on November 7 that a Chinese use of force against Taiwan would constitute an existential crisis for Japan, which could justify a response by its military, the Self-Defense Forces.
Communist China has long claimed Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to achieve reunification by force if necessary.
Beijing fiercely objects to what it sees as any outside interference in its dealings with and plans for the island and it responded to Sanae’s comments with its own threat of military action against any such Japanese intervention.
Ramping up economic pressure, China on November 14, told its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, dealing a major blow to Japan’s tourist industry. On November 19, Beijing took aim at Tokyo’s seafood exports, saying there was no market for Japanese produce in China.
China’s state-run Global Times newspaper reported that all flights on 12 routes from Chinese mainland cities to Japan have been concealed due to low passenger volumes.
As of Monday, the number of canceled flights from the Chinese mainland to Japan scheduled to December 31 has increased by about 56 percent compared with the same period the previous month, the newspaper reported, citing data from industry information provider Umetrip.
As the economic toll increases for Japan, the diplomatic dispute shows no sign of easing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in comments to state media published on Sunday, urged Japan to reflect on and correct its mistakes as soon as possible, “rather than stubbornly clinging to the wrong path.”
“Wang said that it is shocking for a sitting Japanese leader to openly send a wrong signal of attempting to intervene militarily in the Taiwan question – saying what should not be said and crossing a red line that must not be touched,” China’s Xinhua News Agency reported.
Japan has tried to defuse the dispute and reassure China of its “consistent position” on Taiwan. Japan acknowledges a “one-China” policy, which almost all countries officially uphold, recognizing Beijing as the sole and legal government of China and having no official relations with Taiwan.
Speaking to reporters in South Africa after attending the G20 leaders’ summit, Takaichi said on Sunday that Japan remained open to dialogue with China.
“We are not closing the door. But it’s important for Japan to state clearly what needs to be said,” she said. She added that she had not spoken with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who was also in South Africa for the G20 meeting.
What People Are Saying
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, told a Monday briefing, as reported by Chinese state media: “China hopes Japan will take China’s concerns seriously, withdraw its erroneous remarks on Taiwan question, and demonstrate genuine sincerity for dialogue through concrete actions.”
What Happens Next
The diplomatic fallout looks set to undermine tentative regional cooperation with Mao telling the Monday briefing that China, Japan, and South Korea have not reached a consensus on the timing of a trilateral summit that had been expected early next year.
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