Taiwan

Taipei — Images of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te holding a plate of sushi in a show of support for Tokyo were posted on social media on Thursday after reports that Porcelain will stop Japanese imports of seafood.

The dispute between Japan and China was caused by new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting this month that Tokyo could intervene militarily in any attack on Taiwan.

China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the autonomous island under its control.

Lai, a franc defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty who is often harshly criticized by Chinese officials for his stance, has accused Beijing of “seriously” affecting regional peace in the growing dispute.

A photo of a smiling Lai holding a plate of sushi was posted on his Facebook page.

“Today’s lunch is sushi and miso soup,” read a message posted with the photo, along with the hashtag #Yellowtail from Kagoshima and scallops from Hokkaido.

Similar photos were posted on Lai’s X account, with the message and hashtag written in Japanese.

A video of Lai suggesting to his followers that now “might be a good time to eat Japanese cuisine” was also shared on his Instagram page.

“It fully shows the strong friendship between Taiwan and Japan,” Lai said while holding the plate of sushi.

China’s Foreign Ministry called Lai’s posts a “stunt.”

The posts followed media reports in Tokyo on Wednesday that China will suspend imports of Japanese seafood. No government has confirmed the measure.

China has already summoned Tokyo’s ambassador and advised its citizens against traveling to Japan after the confrontation over Takaichi’s comments. According to state media, the release of at least two Japanese films will also be postponed in China.

On Monday, Japan said it Coded plane after detecting a suspected Chinese drone near the southern island of Yonaguni, near Taiwan, over the weekend.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Thursday that Japan should “conduct itself with dignity” and take “concrete actions,” including retracting Takaichi’s statement, to repair ties.

“Simply stating that its position (on Taiwan) remains unchanged does not address China’s concerns,” he said at a regular news conference.

The US ambassador to Japan, George Glass, promised that Washington would support Tokyo during the dispute.

“Coercion is a hard habit for Beijing to break,” Glass wrote Thursday in a social media post. “But just as the United States supported Japan during China’s last unjustified ban on Japanese seafood, this time we will be there again to support our ally.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said last week that his country’s position on Taiwan “has not changed” despite Takaichi’s comments.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “has used tactics such as economic coercion and military intimidation to intimidate other countries,” but urged Taiwanese to travel to Japan and buy Japanese products.

“At this critical moment we must support Japan so that it can stabilize the situation and stop the CCP’s bullying behavior,” he said on Thursday.

News themezone foreign correspondent Anna Coren said Wednesday that there was no apparent demonstration to ease tension between Tokyo and Beijing. Japan sent a senior diplomat to Beijing for talks on Tuesday, but there was no significant progress in easing the bilateral standoff.