China’s Wang Yi Issues Stern Warning to Japan
Jan. 1—Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Dec. 30, when addressing the Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations in 2025 in Beijing: “We must stay highly vigilant to the resurgence of militarism in Japan, resolutely defend the victorious outcomes of World War II achieved with great sacrifice, and effectively safeguard the hard-earned peace and stability.” He accused Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of publicly challenging China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the historical verdict of World War II, as well as the post-war international order.
Wang Yi opened his speech observing that 2025 saw "unilateralism and hegemonism finding no support and a multipolar world in the making. Amid once-in-a-century transformations, old and new problems intensified. The contest between progress and regression sharpened.
“This year, economic globalization met serious setbacks. The tariff war dealt a blow to international trade rules, and disrupted the global economic order. The choice between openness and isolation became imperative.
“This year, local wars and cross-border conflicts flared up more often than at any time since the end of WWII. …
“Facing a troubled world where peace is under threat, China acted as an anchor for stability. As once-in-a-century transformations accelerate, international relations are being reshaped amidst turbulence, and the risks of conflict or confrontation between major countries are clearly on the rise.” (Emphasis in original.)
On U.S.-China ties, Wang Yi stated, “The China-U.S. relationship is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in today’s world. The strategic choices of the two countries will shape the course of world history. In the past year, we continued to approach and handle the relations with the U.S. with the overall and long-term interests of the world and of ourselves at heart.” He said earlier: “In the past year, China-U.S. relations, despite shocks and ups and downs, realized overall and dynamic stability.”
On the BRICS, he said: “Ten countries from the Global South officially became BRICS partners. The 20-member BRICS family grew more prosperous. And BRICS cooperation was ever more robust under the expanded format.”
On the world economy, he noted that “China has continued to contribute around 30% of world economic growth, higher than G7 combined, and become a major propeller for global development in getting over the current predicament.”