China-Japan tension: Abe’s comments on Taiwan prompt Beijing threat to ‘reconsider’ bilateral relations

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The carefully developed goodwill between China and Japan is at risk, with Beijing threatening to “reconsider” bilateral relations with Tokyo over former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s recent comments in support of Taiwan.

Already tense ties between the two Asian neighbours are being further challenged after Abe said last week that neither his country nor the United States could stand by if mainland China attacked Taiwan, and that an emergency for the island would also be an emergency for Japan. He also warned that “people in Beijing, particularly President Xi Jinping, should not misjudge that”.