China has summoned Japan’s ambassador for a rebuke over the premier’s comments about Taiwan, Beijing said, as Tokyo insisted its position on the self-ruled island was unchanged. But as the diplomatic spat escalated, Japan’s foreign ministry said it summoned Beijing’s ambassador on Friday after a Chinese consul called to “cut off” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s neck in a now-removed online post. Last week, Takaichi told parliament that armed attacks on Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, could warrant sending troops to the island under “collective self-defence”.
