HONG KONG -- China's relations with Japan, already strained because of territorial disputes and differing perceptions of history -- in particular, because of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Japan's memorial to its war dead, including Class A war criminals -- were aggravated last month when Tokyo joined Washington for the first time in voicing concern over Taiwan.
In a joint statement issued in Washington on Feb. 19 after a meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee, the two countries said Taiwan was one of their mutual security concerns.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry immediately responded: "The Chinese government is firmly against the United States and Japan issuing any joint statement about Taiwan, which interferes with China's internal affairs and hurts China's sovereignty."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.