China expressed shock on Thursday after Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso called Taiwan a ”country”, and accused him of intervening in its internal affairs.
Aso told a parliamentary committee that Taiwan is a ”law-governed country”, the latest in a series of remarks that have angered Beijing.
”We are quite shocked at the remarks made by the highest official in the Japanese foreign service, which breaches the Sino-Japanese joint declaration,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang told a regular press briefing.
”We are strongly protesting against this rude intervention in China’s internal affairs.”
China and Taiwan split in 1949 amid a civil war, but China still views Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.
Recognising Taiwan as a country goes against the official stance of Japan, which declared Beijing the only legitimate government of China when it normalised relations in 1972.
Aso came in for criticism last month after he said Taiwan was ”a country with a very high education level”, thanks to the 50 years of Japanese colonial rule that ended in 1945.
Two days after that remark, Aso denied he was calling Taiwan a country.
”Since I have been attacked by newspapers for 25 years, I know it would cause trouble if I say Taiwan is a country. I’m not as stupid as you think,” he told a news conference. — Sapa-AFP