China-Japan Clash May Persist for a Year, Taiwan Minister Warns
The dispute between China and Japan could drag on for a year, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said, adding Taipei hopes the two sides can find a way to ease tensions.
In a Bloomberg News interview on Tuesday, Lin said the tensions sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments could take “maybe a year to stabilize.” He added that escalating the tensions or issues related to Taiwan would offer little benefit to any party.
“For Beijing, it’s also not in its interest to escalate the conflict,” he added.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Takaichi angered Beijing last month by effectively saying that troops from her nation could get involved if China invades Taiwan. Beijing saw the comments as crossing a red line, and responded with economic and diplomatic reprisals — though Takaichi has rebuffed its demand to retract the remarks.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te later urged Beijing to act as a responsible major power. Lin has also encouraged Taiwanese travelers to visit Japan and buy the nation’s goods — a contrast to the wave of cancellations from China after tensions soared.
Lin reiterated that backing for Japan in the interview on Tuesday, saying that “we show our support through, I think, a soft approach” while also trying “to help cool down the situation.”
Source : Bloomberg.com
