Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks and actions on China's Taiwan region constitute the biggest obstacle facing China-Japan relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday.
Guo made the statement at a regular press conference in Beijing in response to a media query on China-Japan relations, as he briefed reporters on a meeting held Monday between China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Bin and a visiting delegation of young lawmakers from the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union.
"China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Bin met with the visiting delegation of young lawmakers from the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union on Monday. The Chinese side stressed that the erroneous remarks and deeds of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi concerning the Taiwan region are the biggest sticking point behind the serious difficulties currently facing China-Japan relations. The Japanese side should abide by the four political documents between China and Japan, draw lessons from history, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the rest of the international community through concrete actions," he said.
"We hope the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union will uphold its tradition of friendship with China, demonstrate responsibility and commitment, and create the conditions and environment for bilateral relations to return to the right track," said the spokesman.
Takaichi on November 7, 2025, made blatant and provocative remarks on Taiwan at the Diet, claiming that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and implying that Japan might invoke the so-called "right to collective self-defense" for armed intervention across the Taiwan Strait.
Japanese PM's erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan biggest obstacle to China-Japan relations: spokesman
Japanese PM's erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan biggest obstacle to China-Japan relations: spokesman
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday formally tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government, giving the former military chief a chance to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Netanyahu's right-wing coalition lost its parliamentary majority in October's election.
Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, received recommendations from 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament, compared with 46 for Netanyahu.
At the ceremony, Herzog called for unity and a "stable government that can last."
Eisenkot warned that Israel was facing a "critical moment," saying the objectives of its multi-front conflicts "remained unfulfilled," its international relations were in a "devastating crisis," and its democracy was facing one of its gravest challenges.
"If we continue on the current path, we risk reaching a point of no return," he said, calling for new leadership "that people can look in the eye and trust."
He said he was convinced it was possible to form a new government with a substantial majority in the Knesset, and that he was open to Netanyahu's Likud party and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party joining a government under his leadership.
He said they were invited to "support the government under my leadership and the principles I've outlined."
"I intend to be the prime minister of all citizens of Israel, those who voted for me and those who haven't," Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in.
Eisenkot's four-party alliance holds only 48 seats and would need support from Arab lawmakers or other parties to form a government.
Netanyahu on Saturday called for a national unity government, while Eisenkot's party said Likud could join a government led by Eisenkot if it abandoned its far-right allies.
Under Israeli law, if Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted time, Herzog may assign the task to another candidate, or at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset can ask the president to entrust the mandate to a candidate of their choice. If these efforts also fail, the Knesset will be dissolved and new elections will be held.
Israeli opposition leader Eisenkot officially receives mandate to form gov't
Israeli opposition leader Eisenkot officially receives mandate to form gov't
