China's Warning at Munich
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, issued a stern warning to Japan on Saturday, February 14, 2026, during the 62nd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. Wang urged vigilance against what he termed 'dangerous trends' in Japan, specifically condemning remarks made by Japanese leadership regarding the Taiwan question. He asserted that these statements directly challenge China's sovereignty and the established post-war international order.
During the 'China in the World' session, Wang Yi stated that 'the Japanese leadership's erroneous remarks regarding the Taiwan question directly challenge China's sovereignty and the post-war international order.' He emphasized that China would 'certainly not accept this, and neither will the 1.4 billion Chinese people!' Wang also drew a comparison between Japan's historical reckoning and Germany's post-World War II actions, noting that Germany had liquidated fascism and banned the promotion of Nazism, while Japan still 'enshrines Class-A war criminals in a shrine, where Japanese politicians frequently pay homage and revere them as 'heroic souls.''
The Japanese Remarks in Question
The Chinese Foreign Minister's remarks were a direct response to statements made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. On November 7, 2025, Takaichi publicly claimed in the Japanese parliament that any contingency in the Taiwan Strait could constitute a 'survival-threatening situation' for Japan, allowing it to exercise collective self-defense. Wang Yi highlighted this as the first time in 80 years since the war that a Japanese prime minister had made such a statement, calling it 'outrageous.'
Takaichi's comments were made in response to an opposition lawmaker's question about 'survival-threatening situations,' a legal term that permits Japan's Self-Defense Forces to be deployed. She cited a hypothetical Chinese attempt to bring Taiwan under Beijing's control using military force as an example of such a situation.
Historical Context and Broader Tensions
Wang Yi underscored that such remarks challenge the political commitments Japan made to China and the post-war international order, in which Taiwan was returned to China. He referenced the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation as foundational documents confirming China's sovereignty over Taiwan. He warned that Japan's 'erroneous remarks' on Taiwan reveal 'Japan's ambition to invade and colonize Taiwan has not died out, and the ghost of militarism is still lingering.'
This diplomatic spat is part of an ongoing crisis between China and Japan that escalated in November 2025 following Takaichi's initial statements. China has since lodged formal protests and implemented retaliatory measures, including restricting imports and exports, and limiting cultural exchanges. Wang Yi urged all peace-loving countries to warn Japan that 'if it tries to go back on its path, it will bring about its own destruction, and if it gambles once more, it will only be defeated faster and suffer a harsher loss!'
5 Comments
Loubianka
Finally, someone tells Japan to remember its place and history. Good for China!
Katchuka
Both nations are clearly operating from a place of perceived threat; China feeling its sovereignty challenged, and Japan its security jeopardized. A diplomatic solution requires acknowledging these underlying fears rather than escalating with warnings and retaliatory measures.
Eugene Alta
This strong warning was long overdue. Japan's statements are dangerously provocative.
Noir Black
China is absolutely right to call out Japan's historical revisionism. They never truly atoned.
Katchuka
Taiwan's future should be decided by its own people, not by China's historical claims.