Beijing angered after premier goes to baseball game in Tokyo

Beijing angered after premier goes to baseball game in Tokyo

2026-03-09

Among the fans watching Team Taiwan play at Tokyo Dome this past week was none other than Taiwan’s premier, Cho Jung-tai. His presence at the competition was remarked upon by baseball fans. But not just that, it also marked a new milestone bilateral relations between Taiwan and Japan, which ended up triggering the wrath of Beijing. That’s because Cho’s visit to Japan is the first by any sitting premier of Taiwan since the two countries severed diplomatic ties. According to Japanese media, China immediately contacted Japan’s embassy in China to condemn Cho’s visit. Japan reportedly replied that Cho was visiting in a personal capacity, and that his trip was in line with the Japan-China Joint Communique of 1972. Let’s hear more.

Voice of Yaita Akio
Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank
Whenever Taiwan makes any kind of diplomatic effort, China complains. But what’s most beneficial for Taiwan this time around is that Cho Jung-tai had already returned to Taiwan by the time that China found out. China-Japan relations are in bad shape, and China hasn’t been left with many cards to play. That is quite good for Taiwan’s diplomacy.

Ho Hsin-chun
Lawmaker (DPP)
Premier Cho Jung-tai was able to step on Japanese soil. They explained it very clearly. It was a visit made in a personal capacity to watch the World Baseball Classic. If you want to watch the baseball games and cheer for Team Taiwan, it’s something everyone can do. We’re all in this together. It’s a wonderful thing.

Chuang Jui-hsiung
DPP Legislative Caucus
Regardless of what capacity Premier Cho Jung-tai went to Japan in, I feel that everyone definitely feels that it is a breakthrough in Taiwan-Japan relations. China’s cries are to be expected, but this time the KMT was quicker than Beijing to get mad.

Cho’s visit to Tokyo angered China and also the opposition KMT. KMT Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang demanded that Cho provide receipts to prove that it was a private trip paid for by himself. In response, the DPP says that it’s unthinkable that officials or legislators would be required to justify their every private expense. Pundits say the KMT is trying to force Cho into saying the trip was a diplomatic affair, in order to give China room to involve itself in the matter.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#KMT #tokyo #beijing #taiwan #卓榮泰

卓榮泰現身東京巨蛋觀賽北京致電日本駐中大使"嚴正抗議"

2026-03-09

行政院長卓榮泰7日現身日本東京巨蛋，親自替台灣隊加油，是台日斷交後，首度現任閣揆赴日，堪稱重大外交突破。日本媒體揭露，中方立刻致電日本駐中大使嚴正抗議，傳出日方直接回應，台灣已經說明此行為私人性質，日方遵循1972年的日中共同聲明，立場沒變。

[[聲源:印太戰略智庫執行長矢板明夫]]
“只要台灣做出任何外交上的努力，中國一定會抗議，只是說這次台灣比較有利的是，在中國發現之前，卓榮泰已經回國了，中日關係非常差，中國手裡能打的牌並不多，這方面在台灣的外交，是非常有益的”

[[立委(民) 何欣純]]
“卓院長能夠，親自踏上日本這個土地，他說得很清楚，他是私人的觀看這個世界經典賽，棒球個人的行程，可以為台灣隊加油，不分你我，不分彼此，這是一件很美好的事”

[[民進黨團幹事長莊瑞雄]]
“不管行政院長用什麼樣的身分到日本去，對於整個台日關係，我相信國人同胞一定感受到，第一個，唉唷，突破了。北京的生氣是在預料之中，這一次中國國民黨生氣的比北京還早”

卓榮泰赴日，除了中國，藍營也一樣氣得跳腳，國民黨團書記長林沛祥要卓榮泰提出單據，證明是私人行程。綠營反諷哪有官員或立委私人每筆消費要公開報告、名嘴更分析藍營想逼卓榮泰改口說是"外交行程"，給中國介入的機會。

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- Are they targeting military personnel?
- I think so.

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Mr. Wu (voice altered)
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Mr. Wu (voice altered)
Retired Zuoying military region officer
These documents or manuals are harmless and not confidential, so I’ll just take photos of them and we can just waive the interest for this period

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The 32nd semi-annual conference of the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, or WTCC, has kicked off in Sydney, Australia. The opening ceremony on Monday morning has a surprise for everyone.

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Wang Yun-hsuan
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Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung was on a state visit to Tuvalu last week. Upon returning, he stopped over in Australia. He’s also made a mark at this LED billboard in the ICC Sydney.

The foreign minister’s rare stopover in Australia was recorded and featured at the WTCC conference.

Lin Chia-lung
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Sydney is a city which I emulate in my tenure to promote meetings, exhibitions, events and festivities. Today, Taiwan’s business communities from the world over are gathered here to devise the future of WTCC, as well as promote Taiwan’s global connections and welcome the world to Taiwan.

Chiang Chi-cheng
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We all hope to further improve bilateral relations, and of course exchanges between officials comprise a part of closer bilateral relations.

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Taiwan is now an indispensable partner for international society and liberal democracies. You can see this in Premier Cho Jung-tai’s personal trip to watch a baseball game at Japan’s Tokyo Dome, as an incumbent premier. We’ve also witnessed how our foreign minister took Taiwan to the world through a series of events and engagements.

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