Chinese state media takes aim at Japanese firm KDDI over Mongolia wildfire

Chinese state media has criticized Japanese telecom firm KDDI for its failure to apologize to China over a massive wildfire in Mongolia. The grassland fire, which broke out on October 8, scorched approximately 80% of a nature reserve on the border between Mongolia and China. Japanese media reports suggest that KDDI's majority-owned subsidiary, MobiCom, was responsible for the fire.

MobiCom acknowledged that a vehicle used by its executives caught fire during an on-site survey, igniting dry grass and causing the blaze. KDDI expressed "extreme" concern over the incident and apologized to Mongolia's people, customers, and relevant parties. However, Chinese state-run news outlets demanded a formal statement from KDDI on the impact of the fire in China.

The Global Times noted that China had spent over 3,400 personnel to prevent the fire from spreading across the border and had worked tirelessly for nearly a week. Changanjie Zhishi, a Beijing Daily-run social media outlet, accused KDDI of concealing the true purpose of their visit to the nature reserve, which was reportedly to catch the critically endangered taimen fish.

Both Chinese state media outlets and the increasing tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over issues such as Taiwan and security, have contributed to the criticism of KDDI.