中国对日本首相高市早苗涉台言论展开报复，但力度呈区域分化。11 月 14 日起北京劝阻赴日旅行，并要求航空公司减少赴日航班，使关西受冲击最大：12 月关西机场中日航班预估减少约 30%，先前依赖中国游客的京都、奈良与大阪立即出现预订骤降与经济负面效应。相比之下，东京羽田仅出现少量航班削减，因航权竞争激烈、削减后难以重新取得，且中国主要国有航司不愿损害长期利润，因此未触发大规模航线中断。
东北地区受影响最小，因外籍游客构成不同。仙台与周边地区的访客主要来自台湾、东南亚、欧美等地，2025 年仍维持高入住率与高房价。东北与台湾在 2011 年灾后建立深度连结，每日仍保持至少两班仙台—台湾直航，使当地旅游需求稳定。外国游客持续前往银山温泉、松岛湾等景点，显示中日紧张关系未在此造成明显冲击。
外交层面，中国持续进行舆论战、取消在华日方演出等象征性措施，并由驻日大使吴江浩公开要求日本撤回言论。然而北京避免触及会伤及自身经济的领域，如未暂停日本人 30 天免签，并主动会见经团联等日本商界领袖以安抚关系。中国国内未出现大规模反日抗议，一方面因大量民众赴日旅游后的认知改变，另一方面因经济低迷与青年失业使社会更关注民生。总体来看，北京在强硬姿态与经济自保之间走钢索，日本需保持克制以避免双方关系更难回稳。
China’s retaliation over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan-related remarks has produced regionally divergent economic effects. Since Beijing urged citizens on Nov. 14 to avoid Japan and instructed airlines to cut flights, Kansai has borne the brunt: Kansai International Airport expects a roughly 30% drop in China-bound flights in December, severely affecting Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, where dependence on Chinese tourism is highest. Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, by contrast, saw only minimal reductions due to fierce slot competition and the reluctance of China’s state-owned airlines to forfeit profitable long-term access.
Eastern Japan’s Tohoku region remains largely insulated because its inbound flows rely heavily on Taiwan, Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe. Sendai and nearby areas continue to record high occupancy and room rates, supported by at least two daily direct flights from Taiwan and post-2011 disaster ties that have driven sustained tourism. Popular sites such as Ginzan Onsen and Matsushima Bay continue drawing visitors, indicating that geopolitical tensions have not materially dampened demand there.
Diplomatically, Beijing has escalated rhetoric—canceling Japanese cultural events in China and deploying Ambassador Wu Jianghao to publicly demand retraction—yet is avoiding measures that would damage its economy, such as suspending 30-day visa-free entry for Japanese visitors. Chinese officials have simultaneously sought engagement with Japan’s business community, signaling caution beneath the confrontational messaging. Domestic reactions in China remain muted, with no mass protests or boycotts, shaped by economic hardship and shifting nationalism. Overall, China is balancing assertiveness with self-preservation, and Japan is advised to respond with restraint to avoid complicating a future stabilization of bilateral ties.