China cautions India-Japan ties should not target third countries

Beijing,UPDATED: Jul 3, 2026 16:14 IST

China on Friday said cooperation between countries should not be aimed at any third party or undermine another nation’s interests, a day after India and Japan announced a set of major initiatives following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Responding to a question on India-Japan cooperation on critical minerals to strengthen supply chain resilience, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said such partnerships should help build trust in the region and support peace and stability.

“Cooperation between countries should be conducive to enhancing the understanding and trust among regional countries and safeguarding peace and stability in the region,” Guo told a media briefing in Beijing.

He added: “Such cooperation should not target any third party or harm the interests of any third party, still less be used as an excuse to patch up exclusive small groupings and stoke division and confrontation.” Guo also said, “It is the common responsibility of all countries to keep the global industrial and supply chains safe and stable. All parties should champion openness and cooperation and play a constructive role in the process.”

After summit talks between Modi and Takaichi on Thursday, India and Japan announced a raft of landmark measures, including an economic partnership framework, a defence pact to co-develop military hardware, and steps to deepen energy ties to deal with oil shocks.

In a joint statement, the two sides also expressed “serious concern” over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They opposed unilateral actions that endanger freedom of navigation, as well as attempts to change the status quo by force.

Takaichi’s visit to India was closely watched by Beijing as ties between Japan and China have fallen to their lowest level in years after her remarks in November 2025 that Japan could respond if China attacked Taiwan. China views Taiwan, a self-governed island, as a renegade province that should be brought into its fold by force if necessary. Her comments had drawn a sharp response from China.

China has tightened exports of rare earth minerals to Japan, the US, India and several other countries as leverage to widen its trade interests. China accounts for around 70 per cent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 per cent of processing. These minerals are crucial for manufacturing electronics, automobiles, wind energy equipment, defence hardware and a range of modern gadgets.

In sum, China’s response came after India and Japan unveiled new initiatives covering economic, defence and energy ties, while Beijing said such cooperation should remain open, avoid targeting third parties and support stable global supply chains.

With PTI Inputs

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