China rebukes Japan and EU over South China Sea comments at UN

Beijing accuses Tokyo of provocation and warns against “irresponsible” remarks

China criticised statements by Japan and the European Union during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, condemning their remarks on the South China Sea while accusing Tokyo of escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and pursuing military expansion.

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Ayano Kunimitsu told the council that Tokyo was deeply concerned about developments in the East China Sea and South China Sea, reaffirming opposition to any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force or restrict freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, representing the EU at the United Nations, also pointed to rising tensions in the South China Sea, warning they threaten a vital global shipping route and undermine the rules-based international order.

Although neither explicitly named China, Beijing which claims most of the South China Sea and has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea strongly rejected the comments.

China’s deputy UN ambassador Sun Lei described Japan’s remarks as “unwarranted” and misleading, while urging the EU to avoid what he called unsubstantiated and irresponsible statements. He maintained that conditions in both seas remain stable and described the South China Sea as one of the world’s most open maritime routes.

Sun also accused Japan of sending vessels to “flex its muscles” and deliberately stir tensions in the Taiwan Strait, saying such actions send dangerous signals to pro-independence groups in Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

He further criticised comments made last year by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan, saying they had seriously damaged China-Japan relations. Ties between the two countries deteriorated after Takaichi suggested in November that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response.

Sun alleged that right-wing elements are pushing Japan toward a more aggressive and expansionist security policy, warning of a resurgence of militarism 80 years after World War II. He pointed to Japan’s easing of arms export restrictions, deployment of offensive missile systems, and rising defence spending as evidence of this shift.

A Japanese naval destroyer, JS Ikazuchi, recently passed through the Taiwan Strait, a move China described as a deliberate provocation.

China, meanwhile, has significantly expanded its military capabilities in recent years, fortified disputed outposts in the South China Sea, and conducted large-scale military drills around Taiwan, raising concerns across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.