China says strained ties with Japan stem from Takaichi's Taiwan remarks

China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's "erroneous remarks on Taiwan" are the root cause of the current state of China-Japan relations. 

Takaichi's remarks "have sparked outrage from the Chinese people and tested the red line of the post-war international order," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.

During a parliamentary hearing last November, Takaichi cited the so-called "survival-threatening situation" and linked it to the Taiwan question, suggesting Tokyo might consider it grounds for military involvement.

The spokesperson made the comments in response to a Reuters report that a draft of Japan's annual diplomatic report, which is under government review, would downgrade its description of ties with China from "one of its ​most important" to ​describing China as an important neighbor and the relationship ​as "strategic" and "mutually beneficial."

"If the Japanese side truly wants to improve and develop relations with China, it needs to abide by the four political documents between China and Japan and its own commitments, retract the erroneous remarks on Taiwan as soon as possible, do soul-searching and correct its wrongdoings, and take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations," he said.