On Thursday (November 20), a photo of President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan holding a plate of sushi went viral on social media. Earlier reports indicated that the Chinese Communist Party would temporarily halt the import of Japanese seafood products. President Tsai’s action of having a seafood lunch was seen as a public expression of support towards Japan, a key ally of Taiwan.
The recent dispute between Japan and Beijing stemmed from remarks made by senior official Takashi Sasao of Japan’s ruling party earlier this month. On November 7, Takashi Sasao stated during a parliamentary session that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait could be considered a “threat to Japan’s survival”.
This implies that if China attempts to achieve “reunification by force” with Taiwan, it could trigger military intervention from Japan. China promptly expressed strong dissatisfaction with Sasao’s remarks and warned its citizens against traveling to Japan, citing “significant risks”.
On Wednesday (November 19), Chinese authorities notified Japan of a complete suspension of the import of Japanese seafood products. According to reports from NHK and Kyodo News, China claimed that the import suspension was for the purpose of “evaluating and continuously monitoring” the treated water accumulation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
On Thursday, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan shared a photo on his Facebook page of himself enjoying lunch. In the photo, President Tsai appeared smiling and seemed to be savoring the Japanese seafood dish on his plate.
“Today’s lunch is sushi and miso soup,” he wrote in the caption, along with tags specifying the yellowtail from Kagoshima and scallops from Hokkaido.
President Tsai Ing-wen, known for his staunch opposition to China’s ambitions towards Taiwan, has faced frequent attacks from Beijing. He has criticized Beijing for “seriously” impacting regional peace through escalating tensions.
Similar photos were also posted on President Tsai’s account, with messages and tags written in Japanese. In a video shared on his Instagram page, President Tsai reminded his followers that now might be a good time to enjoy Japanese cuisine.
President Tsai, holding a plate of seafood sushi, remarked, “This fully demonstrates the strong friendship between Taiwan and Japan.”
Following Sasao’s pro-Taiwan comments, China also summoned the Japanese ambassador. According to Chinese state media reports, the release of at least two Japanese films in China will be postponed.
On Monday, Japan revealed that fighter jets were scrambled after a suspected Chinese drone was detected near Yonaguni, Japan’s southernmost island close to Taiwan.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning demanded that Japan retract its erroneous remarks during a routine press conference. However, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Toshihiro Nikai, reiterated multiple times that Prime Minister Takashi Sasao’s statements align with the government’s consistent stance, and Japan firmly refuses to withdraw the comments.
Japan’s firm stance against Beijing has garnered support from its ally, the United States. U.S. Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, pledged that Washington will stand with Tokyo in this dispute.
Glass wrote on social media on Thursday, “For Beijing, ‘coercion’ is a habit that is hard to break. Just like how the United States supported Japan when China imposed unjust bans on Japanese seafood products last time, we will once again support our ally this time.”
Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu, stated that China has been using economic coercion and military intimidation to bully other countries. He urged Taiwanese people to visit Japan and purchase Japanese products.
He stated on Thursday, “At this critical moment, we must support Japan to stabilize the situation and stop China’s bullying behavior.”
(This article references reports from Reuters and CBS)