On July 12, 2026, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Asia Department summoned the charge d’affaires of the Japanese embassy in Beijing, lodging stern representations and expressing strong dissatisfaction and protest over Japanese public comments marking the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling and a related joint statement. China said Japan bears historical responsibility on the South China Sea issue, has not come to terms with its past, and therefore lacks the standing to criticise; it accused Japan of challenging the post‑war international order and rule of law, applying double standards, stirring up trouble and undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea. Beijing said Japan’s actions have provoked international vigilance and indignation over its modern‑era aggression and colonial violence, warned it will firmly and forcefully counter provocations to defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and lodged additional stern representations on Taiwan, Japan’s abandoned chemical weapons, comments by Japanese lawmakers on China’s ethnic policies, and a series of adverse Japanese military‑security developments.(金十数据)