A spokesperson for the Chinese mainland on Wednesday strongly criticized recent remarks by Lai Ching-te, leader of the Taiwan region, regarding collaboration with Japan. Zhu Fenglian of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office described the comments as “utterly disgraceful,” emphasizing that Taiwan authorities had ignored historical atrocities committed during Japan’s colonial rule over the island.
The rebuke came after Lai expressed intentions to “work with Japan to deal with regional challenges,” a statement Zhu argued disrespects the suffering of Taiwanese residents under Japanese occupation from 1895 to 1945. She urged Japan to retract recent statements by Japanese official Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan-related matters and to handle cross-strait issues with caution.
Zhu reiterated the one-China principle, calling on all parties to respect China’s sovereignty through concrete actions. Analysts suggest the remarks reflect growing concerns over regional diplomatic alignments that could destabilize cross-strait relations.
