China asks Japan to clarify its so-called consistent stance on Taiwan: foreign ministry

BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- China is asking Japan to elucidate its self-claimed consistent stance on the Taiwan question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday, stressing that if Japan merely keeps repeating that its position has not changed without specifying what that position is, and meanwhile keeps crossing the line, then this kind of repetition means nothing but empty words, and simply fudges and hollows out the one-China position.

Mao's remarks came after the Japanese side said that Japan has repeatedly explained to the Chinese side the gist of the remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan's consistent position on the Taiwan question.

China has articulated its position multiple times on Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, Mao told a regular press briefing, adding that those remarks seriously violate the principles laid down in the four political documents between China and Japan, and has fundamentally eroded the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

"We've noted the Japanese side's reference to Japan's 'consistent position' on the Taiwan question. But what exactly do they mean by this so-called 'consistent position?' Can Japan articulate this 'consistent position' in its entirety to the public? If Japan merely keeps repeating that its position has not changed without specifying what that position is and meanwhile keeps crossing the line, then this kind of repetition means nothing but empty words, and simply fudges and hollows out the one-China position," said Mao.

Noting that the one-China principle is an unshakable prevailing consensus in the international community, Mao said that if there has truly been no change to the Japanese government's position on the Taiwan question, Japan should unequivocally uphold the one-China principle, and abide by the spirit of the four political documents between the two countries and honor the commitments Japan has made, including what has been stated in the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement that "the Government of Japan recognizes that Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China," and "the Government of the People's Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China. The Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People's Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation." "Why can't Japan fully and accurately reiterate this position?" Mao asked.

China urges Japan to take seriously what it has heard from China, do serious soul-searching and correct its wrongdoing, act to honor its commitment to China, and stop pursuing its misguided course, still less say one thing but do another, said the spokesperson.