The so-called "Treaty of San Francisco" is illegal, null and void as it violates the Charter of the United Nations and the basic principles of international law, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday.
Mao was responding to a media query about the treaty.
It is reported that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday at a debate with opposition party leaders that "having renounced all rights and claims under the Treaty of San Francisco, we are not in a position to recognize Taiwan's legal status."
"The so-called 'Treaty of San Francisco' was issued with the exclusion of important parties to the World War II, such as the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, in order to seek a separate peace deal with Japan. The document goes against the provision of not making a separate armistice or peace with the enemies in the Declaration by United Nations signed by 26 countries in 1942, including China, the U.S., the UK and the Soviet Union, and violates the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law. Anything set out in the treaty on the sovereignty over Taiwan or the handling of the territory and sovereign rights of China as a non-signatory, is thus entirely illegal, null and void," said Mao.
'Treaty of San Francisco' violates UN Charter, int'l law: FM spokeswoman
'Treaty of San Francisco' violates UN Charter, int'l law: FM spokeswoman
The price of aluminum, a key industrial metal used in automotive manufacturing, construction and packaging, has been climbing as production cuts in the Gulf region, logistical constraints and Iranian attacks on two regional producers over the weekend tightened supply.
On March 31, the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price for aluminum rose to 3,535 U.S. dollars per metric ton, a year-on-year increase of around 40 percent.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE that are linked to the U.S. military and aerospace industries, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian steel factories.
Emirates Global Aluminium issued a statement saying that its Al Taweela site in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was severely damaged after Iranian strikes, with some employees injured.
Aluminum Bahrain confirmed in a statement on Sunday that some of its facilities were struck by Iranian attacks, resulting in injuries to two employees.
The two aluminum plants have a combined annual output of 3.2 million tons, more than half of the approximately 6 million tons of aluminum produced every year by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.
The region is a key source of aluminum supply, accounting for about 9 percent of global production.
Goldman Sachs on Tuesday raised its LME aluminum price forecast from 3,200 U.S. dollars to 3,450 U.S. dollars per ton for the second quarter of 2026 after the attacks on the facilities.
Goldman Sachs also predicted a global primary aluminum market supply deficit of 570,000 tons in 2026, a sharp turnaround from its previous forecast of a 550,000-ton surplus.
Analysts point out that the aluminum market is currently facing multiple shocks, with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, aluminum production facilities in the Gulf damaged or even shut down, and production in other parts of the world currently limited.
The impact will also spread to downstream enterprises in the coming months, with higher-cost aluminum alloys, primarily used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, facing the most constrained supply, analysts said.
The Gulf region has long been a significant source of these high-end products, particularly for the European market, and also supplies manufacturers in the United States.
Aluminum prices climb as effects of Middle East tensions spread through global economy
