China-Japan Clash May Persist for a Year, Taiwan Minister Warns

(Bloomberg) — The dispute between China and Japan could drag on for a year, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said, adding Taipei hopes the two sides can find a way to ease tensions.

In a Bloomberg News interview on Tuesday, Lin said the tensions sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments could take “maybe a year to stabilize.” He added that escalating the tensions or issues related to Taiwan would offer little benefit to any party.

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“For Beijing, it’s also not in its interest to escalate the conflict,” he added.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Takaichi angered Beijing last month by effectively saying that troops from her nation could get involved if China invades Taiwan. Beijing saw the comments as crossing a red line, and responded with economic and diplomatic reprisals — though Takaichi has rebuffed its demand to retract the remarks.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te later urged Beijing to act as a responsible major power. Lin has also encouraged Taiwanese travelers to visit Japan and buy the nation’s goods — a contrast to the wave of cancellations from China after tensions soared.

Lin reiterated that backing for Japan in the interview on Tuesday, saying that “we show our support through, I think, a soft approach” while also trying “to help cool down the situation.”

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