President Trump advised Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan's sovereignty following a heated call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing officials familiar with the discussions. The warning came after Takaichi suggested that Japan might respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan, drawing sharp backlash from Beijing. Xi used half of his hourlong conversation with Trump to emphasize China's claims over Taiwan and the importance of US-China cooperation in maintaining global stability, according to the Journal's sources.
Trump's message to Takaichi was described as subtle, with no direct pressure for her to retract her comments, but Japanese officials interpreted the exchange as a sign that the US president did not want tensions over Taiwan to jeopardize a recent détente with China, according to the Journal.
- The White House, asked by the Journal about the Takaichi conversation, released a statement from Trump: The United States relationship with China is very good, and that's also very good for Japan, who is our dear and close ally. Getting along with China is a great thing for China and the US. In my opinion, President Xi will be substantially upping his purchase of soybean and other farm products, and anything good for our farmers is good for me."
Trump described his Tuesday conversation with Takaichi as a "great talk," adding: "She's very smart, she's very strong. And she's going to be a great leader." Bloomberg reports Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara pushed back against the Journal's report on Thursday, saying the article "contains a statement that President Trump advised not to provoke the Chinese government over Taiwan sovereignty issues, but there is no such fact." He later said he couldn't "comment further on foreign-policy-related exchanges," but "the two leaders confirmed close cooperation between the US and Japan."
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