Japan's Takaichi says Tokyo open to dialogue with China

JOHANNESBURG: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters on Sunday (November 23) that she did not meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the G20, but emphasised that her country was "open to various forms of dialogue with China.”

AI Brief

PM Takaichi says Japan seeks a constructive relationship with China despite recent tensions over Taiwan comments.
She clarifies that labeling a Taiwan contingency as an "existential crisis" depends on government assessment of circumstances.
Diplomatic spat deepens after Takaichi suggested a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan.

“Japan’s policy of comprehensively advancing a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship with China and building a constructive and stable relationship has been consistent since I became Prime Minister,” Takaichi told reporters after the G20 summit finalised on Sunday.

When asked by reporters on Friday (November 21) if her earlier comments that a Taiwan contingency could constitute “an existential crisis” for Japan, Takaichi said that such a label was for the government to decide based on “all available information” in the given circumstance.

A diplomatic spat between China and Japan has intensified since Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically-ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.