US President Donald Trump’s phone calls with both his Chinese and Japanese counterparts this week suggest Washington is engaged in a delicate balancing act over the Taiwan issue.
These high-level communications are also intended as a message to Japan, and other US allies, that Taiwan is not a top priority for the Trump administration and should not disrupt the stabilisation of Sino-American ties, according to diplomatic observers.
On Tuesday morning, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a phone call, hours after he spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The calls came amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Takaichi’s earlier remarks that suggested Japan could deploy its military forces in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Takaichi has refused to retract her remarks despite Beijing’s repeated protests.
Trump noted in the call with Xi on Monday that “the US understands how important the Taiwan question is to China”, state news agency Xinhua reported.
According to Japan’s Fuji News Network, Takaichi said that Trump explained the current state of US-China relations, including his phone call with Xi.
