BEIJING (Realist English). China has lodged a formal diplomatic complaint with Japan over a visit by a senior official from Japan’s ruling party to Taiwan, highlighting the deepening strain in relations between the two East Asian neighbours.
China’s foreign ministry said it had made “solemn representations” to Tokyo over the trip by Koichi Hagiuda, the executive acting secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing was “firmly opposed” to the visit and urged Japan to “reflect deeply on its mistake”.
Hagiuda was received in Taipei by Taiwan President Lai Ching‑te, who called for closer cooperation between Taiwan and Japan to help preserve regional stability and advance a “free and open Indo-Pacific”. Lai said the two sides should “join hands, stay united and support each other” in areas ranging from national strategy and regional partnerships to economic security and high-tech industries, urging democracies to stand together to avoid being “picked off one by one”.
Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, strongly opposes official contacts between the island and foreign governments or ruling parties, viewing them as violations of the “one China” principle.
The dispute comes amid a sharp downturn in China–Japan relations. Tensions escalated last month after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. China reacted angrily to the remarks and has since pressed Japan to retract them.
Against this backdrop, the LDP official’s visit to Taiwan has further inflamed tensions, underscoring growing friction between Beijing and Tokyo over regional security and the future of the Taiwan Strait.
