Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing her first major diplomatic test less than a month into office, after angering China with remarks about Tokyo’s position on the red line issue of Taiwan.

Takaichi this month became the first sitting Japanese leader in decades to publicly link a Taiwan Strait crisis with the possible deployment of Japanese troops, prompting Beijing to unleash a flurry of economic reprisals and threats of more retribution.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a briefing on Monday re-upped a demand for Takaichi to retract her comments about the self-ruled island Beijing considers its territory. Making clear the terms for deescalation, she called on Japan to: “Stop crossing the line and playing with fire, retract the wrongful remarks and deeds and h

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