The political scientist named the reasons for the tension in relations between China and Japan

Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, notes that relations between China and Japan have always been quite tense.

Playing on nerves: why is China conducting large-scale exercises around Taiwan

Experts spoke about the consequences of a potential blockade of the island.

"This was due to two factors: first of all, Japan's massive support for American policy in the region, and secondly, the ongoing dispute over a number of territories, including islands," the political scientist said.

The expert added that the situation has greatly worsened due to the words of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Taiwan's unconditional support in the event of a military conflict with China, including the use of Japanese weapons.

"This caused great indignation in China. Moreover, Beijing has seriously inflated this topic on purpose — it covers it as widely as possible in the Chinese media and blogs. China has repeatedly made overflights of the disputed territory claimed by Japan and China. And in this sense, Beijing shows that any interference in China's affairs will be fraught with very serious consequences," the expert said.

On February 24, the Japanese Defense Ministry announced plans to deploy anti-aircraft missiles on Yonaguni Island, located 100 km from Taiwan. This happened the day after China imposed export restrictions on 20 Japanese companies and organizations involved in "strengthening Japan's military might."

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Clouds over the sea: the crisis in relations between China and Japan has reached a new level

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