By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) – Japan dispatched a high-ranking diplomat to China on Monday amid high tensions between the two countries following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments on Taiwan, Kyodo news agency reported.
Masaaki Kanai, the director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, will emphasize that Takaichi has not altered Japan's stance as stated in a 1972 joint communique which recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, the media outlet reported, citing government sources close to the matter.
The Chinese embassy in Japan also said Monday that Beijing is "willing to make every effort to strive for the peaceful reunification of both sides of the Taiwan Straits" but will "never promise to renounce the use of force, nor leave any room for any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities."
"We will not make any compromise or concession to any external interference, and will retain the option to take all necessary measures," the embassy said, as cited by the state-run Global Times.
"If Japan dares to interfere in China's reunification cause, or dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Straits situation under the pretext of a 'survival-threatening situation,' it would be an act of aggression and definitely meet a firm response from China," it added.
The development comes after Takaichi earlier this month said that any Chinese military action against Taiwan -- including a naval blockade -- could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense.
On Friday, China also called on its nationals to avoid visiting Japan following Takaichi's remarks amid rising tensions between the two countries, citing "multiple criminal offenses and incidents of attacks against Chinese nationals in Japan this year."
Japan lodged a protest Saturday with China after Beijing advised its citizens to avoid visiting the neighboring country.
Separately, on Sunday, the China Coast Guard conducted a patrol in the territorial waters of the disputed, Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands. China also claims sovereignty over these islands, referring to them as the Diaoyu Islands.