BEIJING: Beijing vowed on Tuesday to “protect the safety” of foreigners in China after Tokyo warned Japanese visitors “to be careful” in the country amid a diplomatic row.

The spat between China and Japan was ignited by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.

China reacted furiously to Takaichi’s comments.

Asked about the warning to Japanese visitors, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the “Chinese government has always and will continue to protect the safety of foreign citizens in China in accordance with the law”. The planned screening of two Japanese movies will be postponed in China, state media reported.

The comments came as Masaaki Kanai, the top official in Japan’s foreign ministry for Asia-Pacific affairs, held talks in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Liu Jinsong over Takaichi’s comments.

Mao said Beijing had reiterated a “strong protest” with Tokyo in the discussions.

“During the consultations, China once again lodged a strong protest with Japan regarding Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks concerning China,” Mao said.

“Takaichi’s fallacies seriously violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations,” Mao said, adding her comments “fundamentally damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations”.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2025