China urges Japan to correct its leader's erroneous words and deeds on the Taiwan question

(ECNS) -- The pressing priority for Japan is to correct the Japanese leader's erroneous words and deeds on the Taiwan question, adopt a correct attitude on historical issues, and form an objective and rational perception of China, China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press conference when asked about the historical significance of the four political documents between China and Japan, including the joint statement.

The spokesperson said that, 54 years ago, the older generation of Chinese and Japanese leaders, with extraordinary political vision and courage, signed and issued the China-Japan Joint Statement, which marked the normalization of relations between the two countries.

He said that in the joint statement, Japan explicitly noted that it is "keenly conscious of" and "deeply reproaches itself" over its responsibility for war and that it "recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China." The statement also notes that the Government of Japan "fully understands and respects" the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.

According to the spokesperson, today, more than half a century later, China-Japan relations once again face a severe situation. The root cause is that the political foundation of the bilateral relations has been gravely undermined. The incumbent leader of Japan not only refuses to reflect on the history of aggression, but also claims that a contingency in Taiwan will constitute a "survival threatening" situation for Japan.

"This is a blatant challenge to China's state sovereignty and against the aspiration demonstrated by the normalization of China-Japan relations and the political commitments Japan made to China", Guo said.

"On this day of historic significance, we once again urge those running the government of Japan to seriously reflect on and correct their wrongdoings, and take real actions to return to the purpose and mission of the four political documents."