TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has resuspended imports of Japanese seafood amid a diplomatic spat over Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s recent remarks on Taiwan. 

A government source on Wednesday told Kyodo News that Beijing had notified Tokyo of the renewed seafood ban. The move comes after Takaichi said Chinese military actions against Taiwan, such as a naval blockade, could create a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, prompting possible use of force.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said, “Under the current circumstances, even if Japanese seafood were to be exported to China, it would find no market,” per Reuters. She emphasized that if Takaichi does not retract her comments, China would take “stern and resolute” countermeasures.

Since August 2023, China has halted imports of Japanese seafood over the release of treated water from Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. On Nov. 7, Japan’s Foreign Ministry reported that China had resumed imports of previously banned products, but the ban remained for 10 regions, including Fukushima Prefecture and Tokyo.

China has intensified pressure on Takaichi to retract her “Taiwan contingency” remarks. On Saturday, Yuyuan Tantian, a CCTV-affiliated social media account, said that “China has made preparations to carry out substantial countermeasures against Japan,” warning of possible sanctions on Japanese officials and suspension of intergovernmental exchanges in economic, diplomatic, and military areas, per The Japan Times.