LDP Youth Division’s visit to Taiwan a reckless provocation, says Chinese expert
A delegation of more than 70 members of the Youth Division of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has reportedly arrived in the island of Taiwan on Sunday for a visit scheduled to run through Wednesday, including a meeting with Lai Ching-te. Chinese observers on Monday slammed the move as a reckless provocation that seriously violates the principles of diplomatic relations between China and Japan and shall not be tolerated.
Led by LDP Youth Division director Nakasone Yasutaka, the delegation includes four sitting members of Japan's Diet and is scheduled to meet Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te and other senior regional officials, according to Taiwan's local media.
Taiwan's so-called foreign affairs department welcomed the delegation, saying the visit demonstrates Japan's strong commitment to maintaining "close ties" with the island of Taiwan.
Lü Chao, president and associate professor at the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University, described the LDP Youth Division as a representative right-wing organization that consistently maintains an anti-China stance and frequently engages in political interactions with Taiwan's regional authorities.
The LDP Youth Division has sent delegations to Taiwan annually over the past few years, according to the island local media, and that includes meeting with Lai in May and August last year, and with former president Tsai Ing-wen in April last year, August 2023 and May 2022.
The LDP Youth Division's large-scale, high-profile political interaction with the authorities on the Taiwan island is a deliberate provocation against China, aimed at emboldening the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces. The latest delegation's visit is once again a reckless provocation to the bottom line of the Chinese people, Lü told the Global Times on Monday.
"We will never tolerate such actions that severely violate the principles of China-Japan diplomatic relations between China and Japan, and we will resolutely condemn them and take countermeasures," said the expert.
Commenting on reports that the head of Taiwan's so-called foreign affairs department recently made a "private" trip to Japan and met with Japanese politicians, including former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and the director of the LDP Youth Division Nakasone, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on July 28 that by allowing Lin Chia-lung to make the so-called "private" trip, Japan provided a platform for "Taiwan independence" forces to engage in anti-China separatist activities, seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations and the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan, and sent out a gravely wrong signal. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it. We've lodged serious representations to the Japanese side in Beijing and Tokyo and made strong protests.
We urge Japan to abide by the principles in the four political documents between China and Japan, act on its solemn commitment, deeply reflect on and learn lessons from history, act all the more prudently on the Taiwan question, not to harm China's sovereignty in any way and not to send any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Japan should never underestimate the firm resolve, will, and ability of the Chinese people to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity, Guo said then.