SHANGHAI, (Reuters) -China’s foreign minister summoned Japan’s ambassador to Beijing for an emergency meeting on Wednesday after Shinzo Abe, former Japanese prime minister, said that neither Japan nor the United States would stand by if China attacks Taiwan.

Hua Chunying (Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister) called Abe’s remarks “erroneous”, and said that they violate basic norms of relations with Japan. This was according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

Abe’s remarks “openly challenged China’s sovereignty and gave brazen backing to Taiwan independence forces,” Hua said.

It stated that China was “resolutely opposed” and added Hua had “stern representations” made to Japan.

Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matesuno stated that Japan didn’t agree with China and did not comment on any remarks made by non-government officials.

Matsuno stated that Ambassador Tarumi had said that China must understand the existence of people in Japan with such views and Japan can’t accept China’s unilateral view on these matters.

On Wednesday, speaking https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/former-pm-abe-says-japan-us-could-not-stand-by-if-china-attacked-taiwan-2021-12-01 at a virtual forum organised by a Taiwanese think tank, Abe said an armed invasion of Taiwan would pose a grave danger to Japan.

Abe was the leader of the largest group of the Liberal Democratic Party’s ruling party and is still influential.