China said Monday it has complained to Japan after a Japanese minister visited self-ruled Taiwan over the weekend, warning this could hurt relations betwee
BEIJING – China said Monday it has complained to Japan after a Japanese minister visited self-ruled Taiwan over the weekend, warning this could hurt relations between Beijing and Tokyo.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Tokyo said Deputy Minister Jiro Akama went to Taiwan to attend a tourism promotion event in his official capacity. He left Japan last Friday and returned the following day.
Japanese media said Akama was the highest-level government official to officially visit Taiwan since Japan broke off diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1972 and established ties with Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the visit clearly ran contrary to Japan’s promises to only have nongovernmental and local level exchanges with Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province.
“China is resolutely opposed to this and has already made solemn representations to Japan,” Hua told a daily news briefing.
