Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular news briefing in Beijing, China, April 10, 2026. /Chinese Foreign Ministry

The root cause for the current situation in China-Japan relations is that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made the erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan and breached Japan's commitments, which erodes the political foundation of China-Japan relations and challenges the postwar international order, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular news briefing when responding to a query that, compared with last year, Japan's description of China has changed from one of the most important bilateral relations to an important neighbor.

The Japanese side needs to abide by the four political documents between China and Japan and its own commitments, reflect on and correct its wrongdoings, and take concrete actions to uphold the political foundation of China-Japan relations, Mao said.