Japan has downgraded its description of China to a «major neighbor» level in its annual diplomatic «Blue Book» released on Friday, an additional sign of deteriorating relations with Beijing. Since 2016, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had described China in this «Blue Book,» which defines Tokyo's official diplomatic stances, as «one of Japan's most important partners.» China asserts that Taiwan is part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it. Beijing advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, where Chinese tourists are a significant source of income, and imposed customs restrictions on some Japanese companies. In February, the number of Chinese visitors to Japan decreased by more than 45% year-on-year, according to official data. This year's edition, however, used a different phrase, referring to China as a «major neighbor.» This annual report, which details the activities and policies of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accuses Beijing of «escalating its unilateral criticism and intimidatory actions against Japan.» Relations between China and Japan, the world's second and fourth-largest economies respectively, deteriorated in the fall of last year after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted that her country might intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan. Beyond China, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs painted a grim picture of the international situation. It added in its report: «It can be said that the relatively calm period known as the «post-Cold War era» has indeed come to an end».
