IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, with both sides emphasizing improved bilateral relations even as tensions grow over Taiwan and Japan’s warnings about Chinese military action.

According to China’s official readout, Xi told Trump that “Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order” and linked the issue to the legacy of World War Two. Xi said, “China and the United States once fought side by side against fascism and militarism, and should now work together to safeguard the outcomes of World War II.”

Beijing reiterated that Taiwan is part of China and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims and says only the island’s people can determine their future.

Xi stated that China-U.S. ties have “generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory” since the Busan meeting and said recent developments again show that “cooperation benefits both sides while confrontation hurts both.”

He urged efforts to “keep up the momentum” and expand cooperation. Xi also repeated China’s position that it supports “all efforts conducive to peace” in Ukraine.

Trump’s Remarks and Beijing Visit

Trump made no mention of Taiwan in his Truth Social post after the call, saying the conversation was “very good” and covered Ukraine, fentanyl, and U.S. agricultural exports. “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”

Trump said, “This call was a follow-up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate.” Trump said he accepted Xi’s invitation to visit Beijing in April and invited the Chinese leader for a U.S. state visit later in the year.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the call lasted about an hour and was focused on trade. “We are pleased with what we’ve seen from the Chinese, and they feel the same way,” she said.

Trade Measures and Rare Earth Minerals

The two leaders reached a framework agreement on October 30 in Busan, with Washington agreeing not to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese imports and China holding off on export licensing rules for rare earth minerals and magnets.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he hopes a final deal on rare earths will be completed by Thanksgiving. China has resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans and paused its expanded rare earths export curbs, while the U.S. reduced tariffs by 10% in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to help curb the flow of fentanyl-related chemicals to North America.

Japan’s Warnings and Growing Diplomatic Friction

Taiwan has become a central point of friction between China and Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month that any Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response, prompting strong criticism from Beijing.

China accused Japan of attempting to “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation” after Tokyo announced plans to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit on Yonaguni, an island roughly 110 km off Taiwan.

Takaichi’s Call with Trump

Hours after Trump’s conversation with Xi, Takaichi held her own call with the U.S. president. She said she discussed China relations but did not withdraw her earlier comments on Taiwan.

Analysts at Eurasia Group said, “Takaichi cannot retract her statement, and Beijing knows that. Takaichi’s sin was speaking with clarity for which Beijing is punishing her… As long as Takaichi remains prime minister, it’s hard to see relations improving much.”

Beijing has demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, but she has only said she will avoid discussing specific scenarios in the future. Andy Rothman of Sinology said China’s readout showed Xi wanted Trump to use his influence to encourage Takaichi to moderate her rhetoric.

Washington’s Silence and Regional Concerns

Analysts noted that both Beijing and Tokyo appear wary of letting the dispute escalate. Trump has not publicly addressed Japan’s warning about Taiwan, though U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass has said Washington supports Tokyo against China’s “coercion.”

China has increased economic pressure on Japan, including restricting imports of Japanese seafood, discouraging travel to Japan, and advising Chinese citizens in Japan to remain vigilant.

A day after China issued a travel alert for Japan, Tokyo sent a senior foreign ministry official to Beijing to ease tensions, but the visit produced no breakthrough. “There’s no room for compromise,” Thompson said. “We’re probably going to be living with this crisis for a little bit longer.”