Recently, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe published an article entitled US strategic ambiguity over Taiwan must end in regional and international media, including The Jakarta Post and The Straits Times. In this article, he makes wild talks on the Taiwan question and irresponsible remarks about China’s internal affairs, in a vicious attempt to instigate confrontation between major countries, which China is resolutely opposed to.

Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory and the Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair. The Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue are different in nature and not comparable at all. During its colonial rule over Taiwan for half a century, Japan committed innumerable crimes, over which it bears grave historical responsibilities to the Chinese people. The Japanese politician should speak and act with extra prudence on the Taiwan question and avoid sending any wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” forces.

I want to stress that ASEAN countries have always upheld the correct position on the Taiwan question, firmly adhering to the one-China principle, and resolutely opposing “Taiwan independence” and that Shinzo Abe’s erroneous remarks have no market in ASEAN.

It is worth noting that since the beginning of Ukraine crisis, Japan has been highly aggressive towards Russia and become one of Washington’s most high-profile and hard-working allies. A small group of Japanese politicians, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have repeatedly claimed that “A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance”. By making such kind of inflammatory and sensational statements, they try to tie Taiwan’s “security” to Japan and the Japan-US military alliance. They also spare no effort to exaggerate the “China threat” theory and the “Russia threat” theory, trying to bind China and Russia forcibly. Their intention is very obvious. By linking the Ukraine crisis with the Taiwan question, they attempt to provoke confrontation among major powers, stir up trouble and muddle the waters. Besides, by smearing China, they try to drive a wedge in between to sabotage the relations between China and regional countries, so that they can piece together an anti-China camp in East Asia, which they regard as their “achievement” to please the United States in exchange for Washington’s support for the domestic political agenda of the right-wing forces.

At present, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine issue have profoundly affected the development prospects of East Asia. Most countries in the region firmly oppose confrontation and conflicts between major powers, and have made a strong call for jointly promoting prosperity and stability in East Asia. No matter how Tokyo and Washington sing a duet across the Pacific Ocean, it will not change the reality that their cunning calculation runs counter to the major trend in the region. We hope that Japan, as a member of the big East Asia family, will stop acting as a “stronghold” and “accomplice” for the United States to pursue its “Indo-Pacific strategy” and seek hegemony in the region, stop “inviting the wolf into the house”, ganging up to form cliques and resurrecting the Cold War, but do more to promote peace, stability, and regional cooperation in East Asia.

At the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 held recently, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative, calling on the world to stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, reject the Cold War mentality and group politics, and jointly build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, which illustrates China's perspectives for maintaining regional and global stability and reflects the shared expectation of people of all countries. In order to realize general security and lasting prosperity in East Asia, China will work with relevant parties, including ASEAN, to continuously elevate regional cooperation to new heights, achieve further development, and jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home.