China has launched a protest against Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after he referred to Taiwan as a country during a parliament debate. At the same time, China claims the self-governed island as an "inalienable part" of its territory, while Taiwan considers itself to be an independent country.
In his first one-on-one parliamentary debate with opposition leaders on Wednesday, Suga referring to Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, said, "Such three countries have been imposing strong restrictions on privacy rights" to curb the Covid pandemic."
Meanwhile, at a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "Japanese leaders flagrantly refer to Taiwan as a "country" on multiple occasions, severely violating principles set out in the four political documents including the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and its solemn and repeated commitment of not seeing Taiwan as a country. China is strongly dissatisfied with Japan's wrong remarks and has lodged solemn representations to the Japanese side. We ask Japan to make prompt clarification, remove the severe damage and ensure that such things won't happen again."
Meanwhile, Wang further said, "There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Taiwan question bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations. Meanwhile, the basic trust and good faith between the two countries and the international rule of law and justice. We seriously urge the Japanese side to earnestly honor its commitment. Be prudent in words and actions, avoid undermining China's sovereignty in any form. And refrain from sending any wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" forces."