Shinzo Abe, who stepped down as Japan’s prime minister last year, said at a virtual forum organized by a Taiwanese think tank that an armed invasion of Taiwan would represent a threat to Japan’s security.
The comments spurred China’s assistant foreign minister, Hua Chunying, to hastily rebuke and condemn the remarks. According to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry, Hua suggested that Abe’s remarks "openly challenged China's sovereignty and gave brazen support to Taiwan independence forces," and added that the comments were "erroneous."
Beijing believes that Tokyo is in violation of the norms of their diplomatic relationship and made what China believes to be "stern representations" in response.
Hua said of Abe’s remarks that "China is resolutely opposed to this.” Abe, while no longer Japan’s prime minister, remains influential in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
China has long claimed Taiwan as part of its own territory, with officials previously reiterating that use of force remains an option in bringing the self-governing island back into its fold. Incidentally, the self-governing island was a Japanese colony until the early 1950s.