Takaichi, Trump hold phone call after Xi spoke with US president amid China-Japan feud

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a phone call with US President Donald Trump after he spoke to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This was the first discussion between Takaichi and Trump following a diplomatic spat between Japan and China over Taiwan.

The row came up in Trump’s discussions with Xi and Takaichi. The Chinese leader told Trump that Taiwan’s “return to China” is a key part of Beijing’s vision for the world order, while Potus touted progress in trade talks but made no mention of discussions on Taiwan.

“President Trump gave a brief explanation of the recent state of US-China relations,” Takaichi told reporters following her call with Trump on Tuesday, declining to go into further details.

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“President Trump mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that he would be delighted to receive a call from me at any time,” she added.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara has told reporters that “the stability of US-China relations is extremely important for the international community, including Japan,” but declined to comment on Xi’s reported remarks to Trump about Taiwan.

The development comes as a diplomatic row between  China and Japan continues to simmer after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented on Taiwan, seen as an interference by China as it considers the island-nation part of its own territory.

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China and Japan are key trading partners, but historical mistrust and friction over territorial rivalries and military spending often test those ties.

Takaichi, a conservative and China hawk, has toned down her rhetoric since assuming office last month.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung had earlier said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) “has used tactics such as economic coercion and military intimidation to bully other countries” but urged Taiwanese to travel to Japan and buy Japanese products.

With inputs from agencies