China Suspends Japanese Seafood Imports in Taiwan Dispute

China has escalated its diplomatic dispute with Japan by suspending imports of Japanese seafood and issuing a travel advisory urging its citizens to avoid the country, in response to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on potential military involvement in a Taiwan conflict. The measures, announced this week, have led to widespread cancellations in tourism and strained bilateral ties, with officials from both nations holding talks that failed to resolve the impasse.

The feud ignited on November 7, when Takaichi told Japan's parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would pose a "survival-threatening situation" for her country, potentially justifying deployment of Japanese forces under the nation's postwar constitution. This marked a shift from Japan's traditional strategic ambiguity on Taiwan, where Tokyo does not recognize the island as independent but maintains close economic and security links. Beijing views Taiwan as its territory and interprets the comments as interference in internal affairs, violating the one-China principle and the political foundation of China-Japan relations.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed the issue on Wednesday,...