India-Japan ties should not target third party: China

China said on Friday (July 3, 2026) that bilateral cooperation between countries should not target any third party or undermine the interests of another nation, a day after India and Japan unveiled a raft of landmark initiatives during Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Delhi.

“Cooperation between countries should be conducive to enhancing the understanding and trust among regional countries and safeguarding peace and stability in the region,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing in Beijing.

He was replying to a question on cooperation between India and Japan on critical minerals to boost resilience in the supply chains after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Japanese premier.

“Such cooperation should not target any third party or harm the interests of any third party, still less be used as an excuse to patch up exclusive small groupings and stoke division and confrontation,” Mr. Guo said.

“It is the common responsibility of all countries to keep the global industrial and supply chains safe and stable. All parties should champion openness and cooperation and play a constructive role in the process,” he added.

After summit talks between Mr. Modi and Ms. Takaichi, India and Japan on Thursday (July 2) unveiled a raft of landmark initiatives, including an economic partnership framework, a defence pact to co-develop military hardware and steps to enhance energy ties to tackle oil shocks.

They also expressed “serious concern” at the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and opposed unilateral actions that endanger freedom of navigation as well as attempts to change the status quo by force, according to a joint statement.

The Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to India was keenly watched by Beijing as relations between Japan and China have deteriorated to their lowest level in years after Ms. Takaichi’s remarks in November, 2025 that Japan could respond if China attacked Taiwan.

China views Taiwan, a self-governed island, as a renegade province which should be brought into its fold by force if necessary. Her comments drew a furious response from China.

China tightened exports of rare earth minerals to Japan, the U.S., India and several countries to use them as leverage to expand its trade interests.

China accounts for about 70% of global rare earth mining and nearly 90% of its processing.

The minerals are critical for manufacturing electronics, automobiles, wind energy, defence equipment and a host of modern gadgets.