Chinese diplomat sends letter to UN chief to refute Japan's unacceptable arguments

China's Permanent Representative to the UN Fu Cong sent another letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, strongly refuting the unacceptable arguments of Japan's Permanent Representative to the UN and explaining in detail the Chinese government's position.

Fu Cong stated that China had noted that on 24 November, Japan's permanent representative to the UN had sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General containing unacceptable arguments and evading key issues, while unjustifiably accusing China and attempting to shift the blame onto it.

The text, which will be distributed to all UN member states as an official document of the General Assembly, further states: „China firmly opposes this“ – Fu Cong further clarified China's position in the letter.

Firstly, The direct cause of the current serious disagreements between China and Japan are the provocative statements made by the Japanese Prime Minister during her parliamentary questioning on 7 November, when she irresponsibly declared that the „Taiwan contingency“ could pose a „survival-threatening situation“ for Japan, suggesting the possibility of Japanese military intervention in the Chinese Taiwan issue.

Secondly, The Japanese side claims that it is maintaining a „consistent stance.“ China has repeatedly and publicly demanded an explanation: What exactly is this „consistent stance?“ The Japanese side has avoided the question and has yet to give China a direct answer.

Thirdly, In his letter, the Japanese representative asserts that Japan adheres to a „passive defence strategy that is exclusively defence-oriented“ and states that the Japanese Prime Minister's statements were based on this position. Taiwan is Chinese territory, yet the Japanese Prime Minister linked Japan's „survival-threatening situation“ to a „Taiwan contingency,“ implying the use of force against China. This clearly goes beyond her claim of a „passive defence strategy“ that is „exclusively defence-oriented.“.

Fourthly, The letter from the Japanese representative also hints at accusations concerning the defence development of other countries.

Fifthly, The letter from the Japanese representative states that efforts should be made to strengthen understanding and cooperation. However, the biggest challenge at present is that the Japanese Prime Minister's erroneous statements and actions have seriously undermined mutual trust between China and Japan and damaged the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations.

CMG