China threatens to nuke Japan over Taiwan issue, claim reports

In a video, the Chinese Communist Party threatened Japan with a nuclear response and "full-scale war" if it interfered in China's handling of Taiwan.

Beijing: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aired a video in which it threatened Japan with a nuclear response and "full-scale war" if it interfered in China's handling of Taiwan. The video, which appeared on a channel approved by the CCP, singled out Japan as the one exception to China`s policy to not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear powers, Fox News reported.

"We will use nuclear bombs first, we will use nuclear bombs continuously," the video said.

"We will do this until Japan declares unconditional surrender for the second time," it further said.

The video was deleted from Chinese platform Xigua after gaining 2 million views, but copies were uploaded to YouTube and Twitter, Taiwan News reported. 

The threats follow comments made two weeks ago by Japanese officials about Taiwan`s sovereignty, with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso saying that Japan must "defend Taiwan," The Japan Times reported. 

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.

Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US. China has threatened that "Taiwan`s independence" means war.

Since mid-September of last year, Beijing has stepped up its grey-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwan`s ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.