How Sanae Takaichi’s big win in Japan may complicate Beijing’s Taiwan policy

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s sweeping victory in Sunday’s snap election has sounded alarm bells in Beijing, which is wary that closer ties between Tokyo and Taipei could complicate its long-term objective of reunifying Taiwan.Beijing’s annual work conference on Taiwan affairs, held on Monday and Tuesday, came just after Japan’s lower-house election, in which Takaichi’s party secured a two-thirds supermajority.At the event, Wang Huning, the Communist Party’s fourth-ranked leader, reaffirmed Beijing’s long-term strategy for cross-strait relations.Wang, who is chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, mainland China’s top advisory body, said it was necessary to “firmly support the patriotic pro-unification forces on the island and resolutely strike against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces”.Wang also warned against “interference by external forces” and called for safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan-strait" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="5508" data-entity-type="location">Taiwan Strait.Analysts said the language used conveyed Beijing’s growing concern that expanding external security cooperation involving Taiwan could narrow its political and strategic room to manoeuvre.