Editorial | Xi makes clear Taiwan belongs to China in post-war world order
Hopefully, countries – including Japan – will get the message following call with Trump, and geopolitical tensions will ease
Within hours of Monday’s phone call between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, another call was arranged, this time between Trump and new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
It is likely this included the most important topic from China’s point of view – an escalating row over Takaichi’s provocative remarks about the Taiwan issue.
Takaichi was not immediately keen to reveal what was said. Trump did not mention Taiwan in his social media post about his talk with Xi, which he described as a “very good” wide-ranging call that would be followed by reciprocal state visits next year.
But the official account from the Chinese side said Xi raised it and that “the US understands how important the Taiwan question is to China”.
Interestingly, the foreign ministry said the US side requested the call, which it described as “friendly, positive and constructive”. For China, in light of Takaichi’s comments and the US-Japan alliance, it is important to understand the US position and intent on Taiwan.
Both Trump’s remarks and the Chinese version indicate a good understanding that Taiwan is a core issue. The language Trump used to describe relations indicate the United States is unlikely to provoke or challenge Beijing over Taiwan any time soon.