Chinese envoy sends letter to UN Chief Guterres over Japan's Taiwan remark

China sent a letter to the United Nations vowing resolute self-defense if Japan “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait,” as Beijing tries to rally international support for its position on the spiraling spat. 

China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong delivered the message to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. The letter will be distributed to all UN members, according to the report.

 

“If Japan dares to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait situation, it will constitute an act of aggression,” Fu wrote. “China will resolutely exercise its right of self-defense under the UN Charter and international law, safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

 

 

Japanese President Sanae Takaichi earlier this month became the first sitting Japanese leader to publicly link a Taiwan Strait crisis with the possible deployment of Japanese troops. Beijing responded by unleashing a flurry of economic reprisals and repeated demands for Japan’s new leader to recant her remarks. 

 

So far, she’s refused, creating a standoff with Japan’s biggest trade partner. China deems self-ruled Taiwan its territory to be claimed one day, by force if necessary, and considers the issue a red line in its diplomatic relationships. 

 

All previous Japanese leaders have deflected on the question of what would be a “survival threatening situation” to Japan, maintaining strategic ambiguity and saying they’d make a decision based on the circumstances at the time.

 

While Takaichi has said in parliament she’s learned her lesson and will refrain from specifying a possible scenario in which Japan could deploy troops, she’s also maintained that Tokyo hasn’t changed its policy.