China escalates Japan spat with threats of economic reprisal

China is escalating its confrontation with Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, with state media threatening major countermeasures after Beijing’s travel warnings raised the spectre of economic retribution. Ms Takaichi has so far defended her remarks over Taiwan, while Tokyo has said its stance is unchanged from previous administrations. “Because she is early in her tenure and because her position is not quite stable yet, China sees itself as able to more fully test the boundaries,” said NTU Assoc Prof Dylan Loh. “But by no means are the reactions in Beijing inauthentic, quite the contrary,” he added.

- Similar reports in The Business Times online and The Edge, both 17 Nov

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