China’s foreign minister strongly rejected remarks by the Japanese prime minister comparing tensions between the two countries to rivalry between Germany and Britain before the first world war, saying Japan should recognise its past aggression.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Wang Yi, acknowledged that the Sino-Japanese relationship was “very bad”. He described Shinzo Abe’s remarks as “total disorder of time and space”, saying they were a misjudgment that bore no relevance to modern China or the situation in the region.
“I was rather baffled by his remarks. This is my first reaction,” Mr Wang said. “China is a country committed to peace. If the Japanese leader cared to have a close look at his country’s record, it would be made clear to all who has been the troublemaker. And who has been the aggressor.”