China opposes Japan's attempts to create trouble and mislead public on major issues: FM

(ECNS) -- The recent statements made by the Japanese side show that Japan is still reluctant to do the right thing and is deliberately creating trouble on issues of critical importance in an attempt to mislead the public and hope that somehow the issue would resolve itself. China firmly opposes it, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun at a regular press conference on Wednesday.

According to reports, on December 15, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi made a statement during a session at the House of Councillors regarding the Taiwan question that the Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi insisted that the Japanese side's consistent position is hoping that the Taiwan question can be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

In response, Guo said the Japanese foreign minister repeated some of the clauses regarding the Taiwan question stated in the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement—"Article 8 of the document states that the Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation."

"But we also noted that the Japanese side did not reiterate the important clause of the document which states ‘the Government of Japan recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China' and ‘Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.' We also noted that the Japanese side when citing the Cairo Declaration only mentioned ‘Manchuria, Formosa, and The Pescadores' and deliberately sidestepped the important information that they are ‘territories Japan has stolen from the Chinese.'"

He added that the Japanese side also juxtaposed the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and the so-called Treaty of San Francisco, violating the commitments it has made and principles in international law, attempting to rehash the fallacy that Taiwan's status is "undetermined" and interfering in China's domestic affairs.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week made an authoritative and detailed statement that Taiwan's status as Chinese territory has been affirmed by seven historical and legal facts, the spokesperson said.

The major content is as follows: The 1943 Cairo Declaration stated clearly that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as Taiwan, must be restored to China. The 1945 Potsdam Proclamation stipulated that the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out. On August 15, 1945, with Japan's defeat in the war, the Japanese Emperor undertook to carry out the provisions of the Potsdam Proclamation in good faith and announced Japan's unconditional surrender. On October 25, 1945, the Chinese government announced that it would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. On October 1, 1949, the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China replaced the government of the Republic of China, became the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and thus began to exercise sovereignty over all of China's territory, including Taiwan. The 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement provided clear provisions on the Taiwan question. The 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between China and Japan, ratified by the two countries' legislatures, affirmed that the principles set out in the 1972 Joint Statement should be strictly observed.

Guo pointed out the following facts:

In September 1972, during the negotiations on the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the then Treaty Bureau Chief of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Takashima Masuo clearly stated the position of the Japanese government by saying that "It is Japan's consistent position that Taiwan should be restored to China."

In November 1972 after the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the then Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ōhira at the Diet session openly stated that "Disputes between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan are China's internal affairs" and "Opposition between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan is a domestic matter of China."

In February 1975, the then Foreign Minister Kiichi Miyazawa at the Diet said "Cross-Strait conflict should be regarded as a civil war in legal terms."

In 1998 the Chinese and Japanese governments issued the China-Japan Joint Declaration on Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development, which includes a very important statement— The Japanese side continues to maintain its stand on the Taiwan issue which was set forth in the Joint Communiqué of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China and reiterates its understanding that there is one China.

"Let me stress that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. Japan once invaded and exercised colonial rule over Taiwan for 50 years, committed innumerable crimes and bears historical responsibilities on the Taiwan question. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. How to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese ourselves and Japan is in no position to make any interference," Guo added.

"We once again urge the Japanese side to abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, earnestly do soul-searching and correct its wrongdoings and retract the erroneous remarks made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi," the spokesperson concluded.

(By Evelyn)