‘Extremely good friends’: Japan PM Takaichi touts Trump bond after first talks since China dispute

TOKYO – “Call me anytime” was the message Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from US President Donald Trump on Nov 25 in their first phone call since she sparked a major diplomatic bust-up with China.

Ms Takaichi’s off-the-cuff remark to a question in Parliament earlier in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response prompted a furious response from Beijing that has included a boycott on travel to Japan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Mr Trump in a call on Nov 24 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.

Mr Trump has not commented publicly on the dispute between Japan – a key US 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 Mr Trump on Nov 25, Ms Takaichi sought to dispel any concerns that the US President did not have her back.

“President Trump gave a brief explanation of the recent state of US-China relations,” Ms Takaichi told reporters following her call with Mr Trump on Nov 25, declining to go into further details. “President Trump mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that he would be delighted to receive a call from me at any time,” she added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the call.

Mr Xi had told Mr Trump in a call on Nov 24 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.

Mr Trump touted progress in trade talks and said relations with China were “extremely strong” in a post on Truth Social following his call with Mr Xi. He made no mention of any discussions on Taiwan, however.

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Nov 25 that for the island's 23 million people a "return" to China is not an option.

Japanese chief Cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters at a regular news conference on Nov 25 that "the stability of US-China relations is extremely important for the international community, including Japan".

He declined to comment on Mr Xi's reported remarks to Mr Trump about Taiwan, which is surrounded by waters that provide a vital sea route for trade in goods and energy that Tokyo depends on.

Encouraged by the US, Japan has in recent years embarked on a historic military build-up to counter Beijing’s growing might and assertiveness in the region.

Earlier on Nov 24, Beijing criticised Tokyo’s plan to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit to Yonaguni, its island closest to Taiwan, calling it an attempt to “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation”.

Japan scrambled a fighter jet after it detected a Chinese drone flying between Yonaguni and Taiwan on Nov 24.

While Ms Takaichi has so far declined to acquiesce to Beijing’s demands to retract her remarks on Taiwan, Tokyo has said it is willing to hold talks with Beijing at all levels to tamp down tensions.

Japan’s Vice-Foreign Minister met China’s Ambassador in Tokyo on Nov 25 to discuss pending issues between the two countries and future responses, local media reported.

Beijing, however, ruled out a potential icebreaker meeting between Ms Takaichi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of last weekend’s Group of 20 meeting in South Africa.

Analysts say that is one of several signals that Japan-China relations could be headed for a long winter under Ms Takaichi, a hardline nationalist who has enjoyed strong public approval ratings since she came to power in October.

Worries over Trump’s stance

While Mr Trump has not directly waded into the dispute between Japan and China over Taiwan, his ambassador to Japan George Glass has said the US supports Tokyo in the face of China’s “coercion”.

Some officials in Tokyo have long worried that Mr Trump may be prepared to weaken support for Taiwan in pursuit of a trade deal with China, a move that may embolden Beijing and spark conflict in East Asia.

“The Trump administration cannot be ruled out as one that might sacrifice the Taiwan issue for trade ‘deals’ with China,” Professor Seiko Mimaki, who specialises in US politics and diplomacy at Japan’s Doshisha University, wrote in an editorial in the Asahi newspaper on Nov 25.

“In formulating policy towards China, it is essential to fully grasp these tendencies and risks inherent in the Trump administration,” she added. REUTERS