China said the presence of a Self-Defense Forces vessel in the Taiwan Strait is provocative, in a sign that ties between Asia¡¯s two largest economies continue to be strained.?
Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited ?the Taiwan Strait from 4:02 a.m. to ?5:50 p.m., and the Chinese military¡¯s naval and ?air forces tracked and monitored the vessel throughout the process, a Chinese military spokesperson said in a statement.
¡°Japan¡¯s dispatch of a SDF vessel into the Taiwan Strait to flex its military muscle and deliberately provoke trouble is compounding its mistakes,¡± China¡¯s Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing Friday. ¡°The Chinese military has handled it in accordance with law.¡±
The ?Self-Defense Forces declined to comment.
China is firmly opposed to the vessel¡¯s presence and has protested to Tokyo, Guo added. Japan¡¯s Defense and Foreign ministries didn¡¯t immediately respond to requests for comment. Self-Defense Forces vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in 2024, with two further transits taking place in 2025, according to the Asahi newspaper.
The latest transit will likely further hurt ties between China and Japan. The two are locked in a dispute over comments on Taiwan by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year, when she suggested Tokyo could deploy its military if China uses force to try and seize the self-ruled island. Takaichi has refused to withdraw her comments on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
Since then, Beijing has unveiled a series of punitive actions targeting Japan¡¯s import of dual-use items for military purposes, as well as tourism. Tokyo so far hasn¡¯t directly retaliated against the moves.?
An active officer of the Self-Defense Forces was arrested last month after breaching the grounds of Chinese Embassy in Tokyo. The embassy also said on Thursday that it had received bomb threats. Guo urged Japan to correct its mistakes and provide China with an explanation.?
A spokesperson for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department declined to comment on reports that the Chinese Embassy had received bomb threats.
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