A diplomatic firestorm has erupted across Asia. China has slammed Japan with its harshest travel freeze in years, airlines rushing to offer mass refunds as Beijing warns citizens to stay away. The trigger: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s explosive Taiwan remarks, now spiralling into one of the worst China-Japan meltdowns in a decade. With Beijing summoning Tokyo’s ambassador, Tokyo firing back, and state media invoking “crushing defeat” rhetoric, relations are in freefall. But the economic shockwave and political blowback have only just begun.