In phone chat about ChinaToday 03:30 pm JST 30 TOKYO”Call me anytime” was the message Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in their first phone call since Tokyo’s leader sparked a major diplomatic bust-up with China.
Takaichi’s off-the-cuff remark in parliament earlier this month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action prompted a furious response from Beijing that has included a boycott on travel to Japan.
China claims Taiwan, which sits just over 100 km from Japanese territory, and has not ruled out using force to take control of it. The island’s government rejects Beijing’s claim and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
Trump has not commented publicly on the dispute between Japan — a key U.S. security ally – and rival superpower China, a silence that analysts say will be concerning to some officials in Tokyo.
In brief remarks following her call with Trump on Tuesday, Takaichi sought to dispel any concerns that the U.S. president did not have her back.
“President Trump mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that I should call him anytime,” Takaichi told reporters.
Trump explained to Takaichi the recent state of U.S.-China relations including his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, she added.
Xi told Trump in that call that Taiwan’s “return to China” is a key part of Beijing’s vision for the world order, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
Trump touted progress in trade talks and said relations with China were “extremely strong” in a post on Truth Social following his call with Xi. He made no mention of any discussions on Taiwan, however.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump’s call with Takaichi.
