GPS News
TAIWAN NEWS
China-sanctioned Japan lawmaker says Taiwan 'independent'

China-sanctioned Japan lawmaker says Taiwan 'independent'

by AFP Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Jan 6, 2026

A China-born Japanese lawmaker sanctioned by Beijing arrived in Taipei on Tuesday, vowing to tell the world that "Taiwan is an independent country".

Hei Seki, a member of Japan's parliament, was sanctioned in September by China and banned from entering the country for "spreading fallacies" on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has an ongoing spat with Tokyo over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference.

"The fact that I am able today to smoothly enter Taiwan... fully demonstrates that the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China are completely two different countries," Seki told reporters, using Taiwan's official name.

"I came to Taiwan today, first of all, to prove this point, and to tell the world that Taiwan is an independent country," he said.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a press briefing the "rantings of petty villains aren't worth responding to."

Seki will attend a banquet on Tuesday, along with Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai, the Indo-Pacific Strategy Thinktank in Taipei, which is hosting Seki's visit, said.

China's foreign ministry said previously that Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, had "spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti-China forces, and wantonly attacked and smeared China".

The ministry also cited visits by Seki, who is also known by his Chinese name Shi Ping, to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan's war dead including several World War II war criminals.

China has said it would freeze Seki's assets in the country, forbid Chinese entities from conducting transactions with him, and deny entry visas to him or his family.

Japanese officials said at the time that Seki was the first Japanese lawmaker to be sanctioned by the Chinese government and that Tokyo had lodged a protest with China to demand it withdraw the measures.

While Japan and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties, Japanese lawmakers often visit the democratic island.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TAIWAN NEWS
Taiwan's president vows to defend sovereignty after China drills
Taipei (AFP) Jan 1, 2026
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed on Thursday to defend the democratic island's sovereignty in a New Year's speech, after China carried out military drills. Beijing launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels this week to encircle Taiwan's main island, in exercises condemned by Taipei as "highly provocative". China claims democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. "My stance has always been clear: ... read more

TAIWAN NEWS
Drone phenomics sharpen genetic signals and automate field trait extraction in maize and peanut breeding

Ticking time bomb: Some farmers report as many as 70 tick encounters over a 6-month period

Black carbon from straw burning limits antibiotic resistance in plastic mulched fields

Australia 'disappointed' with China's beef tariffs

TAIWAN NEWS
Aegis Aerospace and United Semiconductors plan in orbit semiconductor materials plant

Light driven neuron chip unifies sensing computing and memory

China launches anti-dumping probe into Japan chipmaking chemical

Nvidia unveils new AI chip platform amid rising competition

TAIWAN NEWS
Taiwan launches search for fighter jet pilot

Taiwan inspects F-16 jets as search continues for pilot

NASA and Boeing advance control strategies for flexible long span airliner wings

Turkey's Erdogan hails 2.6 bln euro jet deal with Spain

TAIWAN NEWS
AI helps pave the way for self-driving cars

Trimble positioning tech to enhance Lucid Gravity lane level navigation

EV sales rebound in Germany as Chinese brands make inroads

Tesla loses EV crown to China's BYD in 2025 as sales slip

TAIWAN NEWS
Asian markets mixed as traders eye US jobs data

Japan urges China to drop 'unacceptable' new export controls

Oil extends losses as Trump flags Venezuela shipments, stocks mixed

Canada's Carney to visit China, signaling thaw in relations

TAIWAN NEWS
Climate-driven tree deaths speeding up in Australia

Clearing small areas of rainforest has outsized climate impact: study

Indonesia to revoke 22 forestry permits after deadly floods

How deforestation turbocharged Indonesia's deadly floods

TAIWAN NEWS
Third COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation radar satellite enters service ramp-up

Alen Space begins SATMAR satellite validation over Bay of Algeciras

China geospatial information industry approaches 1 trillion yuan output

New NASA Sensor Goes Hunting for Critical Minerals

TAIWAN NEWS
Bright emission from hidden quantum states demonstrated in nanotechnology breakthrough

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.