A diplomatic row with Japan over Taiwan has China turning to Britain and France for support, appealing to their shared history as wartime allies.

China’s diplomatic full-court press against Japan over its support for Taiwan has targeted President Trump, the United Nations and, now, two of Tokyo’s closest European partners.

In separate talks with senior British and French officials last week, Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, alluded to their nations’ victories over Imperial Japan during World War II, urging them to side with China again in its deepening rift with Tokyo.

His remarks were China’s latest bid to rally support in a dispute that has raged for weeks, since Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, suggested that her country could intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan.

Ms. Takaichi told Japan’s Parliament on Nov. 7 that any attempt by China to blockade or seize Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, implying a potential military response. Her comments reflected a long-held Japanese policy, but one that has rarely been verbalized.

Beijing, which asserts that self-governed Taiwan is part of Chinese territory, has responded furiously. It accused Ms. Takaichi of crossing a “red line” and demanded a retraction. It has urged millions of Chinese tourists to avoid Japan, canceled hundreds of flights and banned imports of Japanese seafood. Even Japanese entertainers have seen their performances in China abruptly canceled — one of them, in Shanghai last week, in the middle of a song.

China sent a letter last month to António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, that accused Ms. Takaichi of violating international law, adding that the letter would be circulated to member states. Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, called President Trump and implied that their two countries, having fought “shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism” in World War II, should push back against Japan together.

Source: New York Times, 2 December 2025… by David Pierson