China has formally addressed the United Nations regarding recent comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about the Taiwan region, sparking renewed diplomatic tensions in East Asia. In a letter submitted to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on November 22, 2025, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong outlined Beijing’s legal and historical objections to what it calls “provocative statements threatening cross-strait stability.”
Three Pillars of China’s Legal Argument
Professor Wang Yiwei of Renmin University explained the letter emphasizes Japan’s status as a defeated WWII power barred from collective self-defense under the UN Charter. It asserts that any Japanese military intervention in Taiwan would violate China’s sovereignty and trigger lawful countermeasures through the Charter’s “enemy State” clauses – provisions designed to prevent renewed aggression by former Axis nations.
Historical Context Meets Modern Tensions
Research Professor Lyu Yaodong noted Japan’s recent claims that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency” directly challenge post-war international order. “Japan’s push to reinterpret its pacifist constitution and develop offensive capabilities raises alarms,” he said, highlighting concerns about Tokyo’s proposed revisions to non-nuclear principles and defense equipment transfer rules.
Global Implications
The letter’s circulation to all UN members serves dual purposes: warning against Japanese rearmament and rallying international support for cross-strait stability. Experts stress China aims to reinforce that Taiwan remains an inalienable part of its territory under the One-China principle recognized by most nations since 1971.
