China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs omits Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi's title and only calls him by his first name... Relations harden after Taiwan remarks last year

Immediately after taking office, he was called ‘Prime Minister’… Referring to Taiwan indirectly as 'leader' after remarks

In a recent briefing, only the name... Attention will be paid to whether the Shenzhen APEC China-Japan talks will be successful in November

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Sook-hee = It was revealed that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs omitted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's title and only referred to her by name in a recent official briefing.

Analysis suggests that this is an intentional reference given that tensions between the two countries have continued for nearly a year following Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks last year about Taiwan's intervention in times of emergency.

According to Hong Kong's Chengdu Daily on the 3rd, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jia-kun called Prime Minister Takaichi only by her first name, 'Sanae Takaichi', while answering a question about Japan's possession of nuclear weapons and nuclear submarines at a regular briefing on the 30th of last month.

It appears that it was not a mistake on the part of the spokesperson, as the title "prime minister" was not included in the briefing records later released on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

When Prime Minister Takaichi took office in October last year, China used the title 'Prime Minister', an expression used to refer to the Prime Minister of Japan.

Since then, as China-Japan relations have cooled rapidly since Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks about "intervening in Taiwan's emergency," China has indirectly referred to Prime Minister Takaichi as "Japanese ruling authorities" or "Japan's current leader."

The Chengdu Ilbo pointed out, “Diplomatic rhetoric is today’s most elaborate ‘game of words’, and how a leader is addressed can be said to be a ‘thermometer’ of the bilateral relationship,” adding, “Omitting even the title and leaving only the name is the same as a diplomatic ‘demotion’ of Japan.”

According to this media outlet, the Chinese government never omitted the title of prime minister even when former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine for six consecutive years from 2001 to 2006.

The fact that China's attitude has become stronger than in the past is interpreted to indicate that the Chinese government is taking Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks regarding Taiwan as a more serious problem than during previous diplomatic conflicts.

Meanwhile, attention is being paid to whether there will be a meeting between Prime Minister Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for next month.

So far, Prime Minister Takaichi is expected to attend, but there are observations that the possibility of a China-Japan summit meeting is low.

There is also the possibility that the Chinese government may not invite the leader of a country with which it has diplomatic relations to APEC, as he has shown hostility by calling him only by his first name.