Former Prime Minister Comments On Taiwan, China Summons Japanese Ambassador In Beijing

JAKARTA - China's Foreign Ministry summoned Japan's ambassador in Beijing for an "emergency meeting" on Wednesday, after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined in on the situation regarding Taiwan.

Former Prime Minister Abe said Japan and the United States could not stand idly by if China attacked Taiwan.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying called Abe's statement wrong and violated the basic norms of relations between China and Japan, during a meeting with Ambassador Hideo Tarumi, according to a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Abe's comments "openly challenged China's sovereignty and gave bold support to Taiwan's independence forces", Hua said, citing Reuters December 2.

"China is firmly against this", he stressed, adding Hua had made a "firm statement" to Japan.

Asked about the summons at a regular press conference in Tokyo on Thursday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said Japan does not agree with China's actions, as the Japanese government is not in a position to comment on statements made by people who are not in government.

"Ambassador Tarumi said China needed to understand that there are people in Japan who have such opinions, with Japan unable to accept China's unilateral views on such issues", Matsuno said.

As previously reported, Shinzo Abe said Japan and the United States cannot stand idly by if China attacks Taiwan and Beijing needs to understand this.

Abe said an armed Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be a great danger to Japan.

"Taiwan's state of emergency is Japan's emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance. People in Beijing, especially President Xi Jinping, should never misunderstand this", Abe said.

Abe, who stepped down as prime minister last year, is the head of the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and remains influential within the party.