China–Japan row deepens as Chinese state media blast PM Takaichi, say she ‘crossed the line'

Tensions flare over Taiwan remarks

A spat between China and Japan over Japanese Premier Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan comments showed no signs of abating on Wednesday with a series of vitriolic commentaries in Chinese state media and calls in Tokyo to expel a Chinese diplomat.

Takaichi sparked the furore with remarks in parliament last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a "survival-threatening situation" and trigger a potential military response from Tokyo.

That drew a formal protest from China and a threatening post from China's Consul General in Osaka, Xue Jian, which Tokyo said was "extremely inappropriate" and complained to Beijing about.

While Takaichi has since said she would refrain from making such comments again and Tokyo called for mutual efforts to reduce friction on Tuesday, a brace of Chinese state media commentaries suggest the furore could rumble on.

State broadcaster CCTV said in an editorial late on Tuesday that Takaichi's remarks were of "extremely malicious nature and impact" and have "crossed the line" with China.

A post on a social media account affiliated with CCTV called Takaichi a "troublemaker", using the word as a play on the pronunciation of her family name in Chinese.

"Has her head been kicked by a donkey?" said the post on the Yuyuan Tantian account.

"If she continues to spew shit without any boundaries like this, Takaichi might have to pay the price!"

The CCTV editorial also likened Takaichi's reference to "survival-threatening situations" with Japan's 1931 invasion of northeast China's Manchuria.

Japan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Calls to expel Chinese diplomat

Japanese leaders have until now avoided mentioning Taiwan when publicly discussing such scenarios, maintaining a strategic ambiguity also favoured by Tokyo's main security ally, the United States.

Beijing claims Taiwan, and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island which sits just 110 km (68 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

Meanwhile, some senior political figures in Tokyo have suggested expelling the Chinese diplomat Xue, who shared a news article about Takaichi's remarks on Saturday and commented: "the dirty head that sticks itself in must be cut off".

The post, which China said was made in a personal capacity, was later deleted.

Takayuki Kobayashi, the ruling party's policy chief, urged the government on Tuesday to expel Xue if Beijing showed no effort to resolve the situation. Prominent opposition lawmaker Kenta Izumi also called for Xue's quick expulsion.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung told a press conference on Wednesday that Xue's remarks risked stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment among Chinese people and must be dealt with.

"If this isn’t handled properly, it could escalate significantly. So it cannot be treated as an isolated incident or just a personal remark," Lin said.