China criticises Japan’s plan to deploy missiles on island near Taiwan

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China called Japan’s plan to deploy missiles on an island near Taiwan a deliberate attempt to “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation” on Monday, as a diplomatic dispute simmers between the two nations.

The remarks come amid the their worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

“Right-wing forces in Japan are… leading Japan and the region toward disaster,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular press briefing.

Beijing “is determined and capable of safeguarding its national territorial sovereignty,” she added.

The comments followed Sunday’s remarks by Japan’s Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi that plans were “steadily moving forward” to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit at a military base on Yonaguni, an island about 110 km (68 miles) off Taiwan’s east coast.

“The move is extremely dangerous and should raise serious concerns among nearby countries and the international community,” Mao said on Monday, especially in the context of Takaichi’s earlier remarks.

China had responded to her comments with vitriol in state media commentaries, bans on Japanese seafood, a halt in Japanese movie releases, and a warning to citizens not to visit Japan.

In mid-November its defence ministry warned Japan of a “crushing” military defeat if it used force to intervene over democratically-governed Taiwan.

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory, and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of it, though the island’s government rejects Beijing’s claim and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

In Taipei on Monday, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu told lawmakers that Japan, as a sovereign nation, had the right to take steps needed to protect the security of its territory, pointing out how close Yonaguni is to Taiwan.

“Japan’s strengthening of its relevant military facilities is basically helpful to maintaining security in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.

“So, of course, this is helpful to our national interests as Japan has no territorial designs or hostility towards Taiwan.”

On Sunday, Koizumi said the missile deployment aimed to protect Yonaguni, adding, “We believe that having this unit in place will actually lower the chances of an armed attack against our country.”

(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Additonal reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)