HONG KONG (Kyodo) — Hong Kong’s No. 3 official has scrapped his visit to Tokyo, initially planned for later this month, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday, amid a continuing diplomatic row between Japan and China over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan was originally scheduled to deliver a speech at a trade promotion event organized by the semiautonomous Chinese region’s Trade Development Council on Dec. 17 at a Tokyo hotel, with Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa in attendance as a guest, the sources said.
As many as 200 guests from Japan’s political and business circles were set to attend, but the event has been canceled.
The city’s authorities have also suspended exchanges with the Japanese Consulate General in Hong Kong, with the latest move echoing Beijing’s lead in applying economic pressure on Japan over the dispute.
Chan is in charge of the former British colony’s economic policy. He was supposed to meet with Japanese Consul General Jun Miura earlier this week, but the meeting was called off at the request of Hong Kong authorities.
Last month, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee said the territory would align with China’s diplomatic policy toward Japan, and that the ongoing dispute “cast doubt on the feasibility of many of these exchanges.”
The sources said Hong Kong authorities’ decision to rescind Chan’s Tokyo visit was made several days before a massive fire broke out at a high-rise housing complex on Nov. 26, leaving about 160 people dead.
In a possibly related move, local media reported Thursday that Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department axed three Japanese movies from being aired at a screening event.
China has increased its pressure on Japan, angered by Takaichi’s Nov. 7 remarks that suggested a military attack on Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy claimed by Beijing, could trigger a response involving Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
