BEIJING/SHENZHEN: United States President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a phone call less than a month after meeting in South Korea – an unusually swift follow-up shaped by heightened Sino-Japanese tensions and markedly different priorities, say analysts.
They add that the more revealing signs of their respective agendas lie not in the conversation itself, but in what each side has chosen to emphasise – and to leave out – in their public statements.
Observers say the leaders’ phone call on Monday (Nov 24) offered Beijing an opportunity to reassert its position on Taiwan, express its displeasure towards recent remarks by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and possibly draw Washington into applying pressure on Tokyo.
Takaichi’s remarks earlier this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could justify a Japanese military response have drawn fierce backlash from Beijing and triggered knock-on effects from tourism and travel disruptions to a cooling of cultural exchanges.
“Forcing Takaichi to retract the statement and pressuring the US to accept China’s authority over Taiwan will be Xi’s ultimate goal,” Gary Ng, a senior economist at Natixis and a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, told CNA.
As for Trump, analysts said his priority was to keep the momentum going on his broader trade truce with China and avoid letting regional frictions complicate negotiations.
At the same time, some observers suggested he also wanted to signal reassurance to Tokyo through a back-to-back call with Takaichi – their first conversation since her remarks on Taiwan.
The trajectory from here, according to analysts, will be shaped by key indicators, including any changes in Chinese military activity around Taiwan, adjustments to US-Japan coordination, and whether the different parties move to recalibrate their messaging.
SAME CALL, DIFFERENT NARRATIVES
The Monday phone call between Trump and Xi came three weeks after both leaders met face to face in Busan, South Korea on Oct 30. The call was not flagged in advance by either the US or China.
It was initiated by the US side, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday. The conversation was “positive, friendly and constructive”, and the two leaders discussed issues of mutual concern, she said during a routine briefing.
The call lasted for about an hour, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Readouts from both sides praised improvement in US-China relations.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said bilateral ties were “extremely strong” and touted “significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate”.
Meanwhile, the Chinese readout by Xinhua state news agency described the China-US relationship as generally maintaining a “steady and positive trajectory”, welcomed by both countries as well as the international community.
“The vision of China and the US helping each other succeed and prospering together is a tangible prospect within reach,” it stated.
The Russia-Ukraine war was also discussed, according to both sides. But the convergence largely stopped there.
While Trump did not mention Taiwan at all in his post, China’s account devoted significant space to Xi’s remarks on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its territory.
“He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the postwar international order … the US understands how important the Taiwan question is to China,” said the Chinese readout, referring to the Chinese president.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/trump-xi-phone-call-taiwan-japan-takaichi-priorities-5489271
