China protests against Japan after Taiwan VP attends memorial to Abe

Robert Besser
14 Jul 2022, 17:15 GMT+10

China has formally protested the presence of Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's Vice President, at a memorial for assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Taiwan is claimed by Beijing to be part of China and has repeatedly said it will be reunited by force, if necessary, rejecting any expression of its independent political identity
This week at his daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Taiwanese authorities had "latched onto the opportunity for political manipulation"

BEIJING, China: China has formally protested the presence of Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's Vice President, at a memorial for assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Taiwan is claimed by Beijing to be part of China and has repeatedly said it will be reunited by force, if necessary, rejecting any expression of its independent political identity.

This week at his daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Taiwanese authorities had "latched onto the opportunity for political manipulation," and that Beijing has "made stern complaints with Japan in Beijing and Tokyo and made clear its position."

"Its political scheme can never succeed," he added.

On 12 July, Lai paid his respects at the Tokyo residence of Abe, who was known as a staunch supporter of Taiwan, and was later seen leaving the Zojoji temple in downtown Tokyo where Abe's funeral was held.

Lai is the most senior Taiwanese official to visit Japan since Tokyo severed formal diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1972.

Chinese warplanes regularly fly over the Taiwan Strait and into Taiwan's air defense identification zone to highlight Beijing's willingness to use force if Taipei makes a formal declaration of independence, as well as to warn away its supporters, most notably the U.S. and its allies, including Japan.

After resigning as prime minister in 2021, Abe angered Beijing with a speech strongly supporting Taiwan, in which he said that "military adventure would lead to economic suicide."