U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, in October.Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Weeks into a diplomatic spat with Japan over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, Chinese leader Xi Jinping called U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday in an apparent attempt to demonstrate Washington’s support, or at least Mr. Trump’s ambivalence, as Beijing stokes tensions in East Asia.
China has sent its coast guard into Japanese territorial waters, banned some imports, cancelled trade talks and restricted tourism to Japan, while threatening further measures if Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not retract remarks she made earlier this month that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could pose an “existential threat” to Japan.
That is the bar for Japan’s military to engage in an ostensibly foreign conflict, and Ms. Takaichi’s remarks – seen by China as a threat – appear to have confirmed suspicion in Beijing that she would pursue a tough line on China like her mentor, the late prime minister Shinzo Abe.
According to a Chinese readout, Mr. Xi underscored to Mr. Trump “that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part” of the post-Second World War “international order.”
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In 1945, sovereignty over Taiwan – a former Japanese colony – passed to the Republic of China, the government of which retreated to the island four years later after losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party, which never controlled Taiwan, but has repeatedly threatened to annex the territory by force in the decades since.
Japan retains close ties with Taiwan – now a thriving democracy of 23 million people – and still controls several islands off its east coast. On Monday, Beijing denounced plans by Tokyo to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit to Yonaguni, one of those territories, after aggressive moves by Chinese vessels in Japanese waters around disputed territories in the East China Sea.
Mr. Xi’s call with Mr. Trump, just weeks after they met in person in Busan, South Korea, appears to be part of Beijing’s pressure campaign against Japan. The Chinese readout claimed Mr. Trump said he “understands how important the Taiwan question is to China.”
(Multiple reports said Mr. Xi initiated the call, citing White House sources. China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the U.S. requested it.)
Summarizing the “very good telephone call” on social media, Mr. Trump did not mention Taiwan or Japan, noting that Washington’s relationship with China, after spending most of the year in a bitter trade war, was now “extremely strong.”
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The discrepancy in the readouts sparked alarm in both Tokyo and Taipei, and appears to have prompted Ms. Takaichi to call Mr. Trump herself. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, she did not give much away about their conversation, only that the U.S. leader “mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that I should call him any time.”
Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai also pushed back against Mr. Xi’s comments Tuesday, pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Taiwanese people reject annexation by Beijing.
“We must once again emphasize that the Republic of China, Taiwan, is a fully sovereign and independent country,” Mr. Cho said. “For the 23 million people of our nation, ‘return’ is not an option – this is very clear.”
Hsiao Kuang-wei, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, said in Taipei that China has distorted the facts around the Second World War, and pointed to U.S. comments in September about how Beijing has tried to use documents from that era to put pressure on and isolate Taiwan.
“China has repeatedly attempted to intimidate and pressure neighbouring countries such as Taiwan and Japan in the region with its authoritarian expansionist nature,” he said.
Last week, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, George Glass, accused Beijing of “coercion” in its campaign against Ms. Takaichi, adding “we will be there for our ally.”
A spokesman for the U.S. State Department, Tommy Pigott, said Washington’s support for Japan was “unwavering.”
“We firmly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, including through force or coercion, in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, or South China Sea,” Mr. Pigott said on social media, without mentioning China.
With reports from Reuters