 "US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters")
US President Donald Trump called Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week and advised her not to provoke Beijing on the question of Taiwan’s sovereignty, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese officials and an American briefed on the call.
Trump spoke with Takaichi after Chinese President Xi Jinping called the US president and spoke about China’s historic claim to the democratic self-governing island, as well as Washington and Beijing’s joint responsibility to manage the world order, the Journal said.
Takaichi dialled Trump earlier this week after the US president held a phone call with Xi. 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.
“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.
Quick Reads
View AllMeanwhile, 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 China-Japan feud over Taiwan has started taking a cultural toll after Chinese authorities cancelled several concerts and performances featuring Japanese artists and Chinese cruise operators have begun to stay away from Japanese ports.
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.
With inputs from agencies