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The US and Japan should reflect on and correct their own wrongdoing of invading other countries and violating other countries’ human rights, instead of interfering in China’s domestic affairs and endangering regional stability, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, lashing out at a joint statement issued by Japan and the US that involves the island of Taiwan.

The US and Japan doesn’t represent the international community, and have no right to define the international order, not to mention imposing their own standards on others, said spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a Monday press conference. 

The freedom and openness that US and Japan advocate is actually the forming of cliques and fanning group confrontation, which is the real threat to regional stability, said Wang.

He made the remarks after US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga released a joint statement on Friday following their meeting in Washington, which highlighted the US-Japan alliance for “peace and security” in the Indo-Pacific region and portrayed China as a negative influence in the region.

The statement also said the two countries “underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” marking the first time that Taiwan has been mentioned in a US-Japan leaders’ statement since 1969.

What Tokyo and Washington should really do is reflect on and correct their own wrongdoings of invasions of other countries and violation of other countries’ human rights, instead of interfering in China’s domestic affairs and countering other countries’ rise, said Wang. 

On the issue of human rights, Japan and the US owe a debt to Chinese people and the international community. The invasion Japan initiated in the last century created a great catastrophe for Asian countries, especially China, said Wang, noting that even as a defeated country, there are still voices and deeds in Japan that glorify the invasion.

US-initiated wars against other countries have resulted in 800,000 deaths since 2001, of whom 300,000 were civilians, said Wang.

The most urgent issue for Japan right now is to take seriously the concerns of surrounding countries and the international community over its decision to dump radioactive water into the ocean and retract the decision for the good of all people’s health, according to Wang.

Global Times