JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country would support China if there was a conflict in Taiwan.
This was conveyed by Lavrov in an interview with the Russian Tass news agency, as Beijing's tensions with Japan over the issue escalated, Sunday, December 28.
Lavrov also said Japan's leadership was seeking to accelerate militarization, referring to increased defense spending under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration, in a statement seen as a warning to Tokyo.
Lavrov's statement came after Takaichi said in a parliamentary session in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be a "life-threatening situation" for Japan, potentially involving its defense forces to support the United States.
The government led by Takaichi, known as a hardline lawmaker on national security, has pledged to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities by increasing related spending, arguing that the geopolitical situation in the region has deteriorated.
Lavrov also said that Russia urged Japan to "consider" the possible consequences before making any sudden decisions as Japan pursued a path towards militarization.
"Our Japanese neighbors should consider everything properly before making hasty decisions," he said.
"Regarding the possibility of escalation in the Taiwan Strait, procedures for acting in such a situation are regulated" in an agreement with China, Lavrov said. "One of the basic principles" is "mutual support in maintaining national unity and territorial integrity."
China and Russia have carried out joint bomber flights for years, prompting Japan's Defense Ministry to consider the moves "clearly intended as a form of demonstration of force against Japan."
Communist-ruled China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since 1949 after a civil war. Beijing views the democratic island as a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary.
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