China's Foreign Ministry on March 9 strongly protested Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai’s visit to Japan to watch a World Baseball Classic match, saying that Cho “secretly traveled to Japan and engaged in proactive actions aimed at Taiwan independence.”

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters that Cho held ulterior motives. adding that such malicious schemes and tactics were "despicable."

He criticized that if Japan tolerates such actions, it will inevitably pay the price, and that all consequences arising from this should be borne by the Japanese side.

Cho’s visit made it the first visit to Japan by a sitting Taiwanese Premier since the 1972 severance of diplomatic ties. Chinese government officials said it was an unusual situation.

According to sources familiar with Japan-China relations, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong protested the visit by phone to Japanese Ambassador to China Kanesugi Kinji on March 7.

Kanesugi explained that Japan's position on Taiwan remains unchanged and is consistent with the Japan-China Joint Statement.