China sanctions Japanese lawmaker Seki Hei over ‘spreading fallacies’
Sichuan-born legislator has undermined Chinese sovereignty with his comments on Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, foreign ministry says
Beijing has sanctioned a conservative, opposition Japanese lawmaker in a rare move, saying that he spread falsehoods on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, undermining Chinese sovereignty.
The Chinese foreign ministry announced the sanctions on Monday morning against Seki Hei – known in China as Shi Ping – a 63-year-old China-born political commentator who was elected to the upper house of the Japanese legislature two months ago.
According to a statement from the ministry, Seki has “long spread fallacies on issues including Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands, history, Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong”.
It said Seki had also openly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial memorial that honours some of the most notorious Japanese war criminals.
He had also “seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs and severely undermined China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, the ministry said.
The Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan, are claimed by both Beijing and Tokyo.