Trump, Xi talk on phone about trade, Taiwan and Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone to discuss trade, Taiwan and Ukraine, about a month after meeting in person in Busan, South Korea, according to White House and Chinese officials.
Xi told Trump in a phone call on Monday that Taiwan’s return to mainland China was “an integral part of the post-war international order,” according to China’s foreign ministry.
A White House official confirmed that the call took place Monday morning but did not provide any details about the call.
The speech comes after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said Japan’s military could step in if China takes action against Taiwan, a self-governing island that officials in Beijing say should come under its rule.
Japan is an important ally of the United States in the region.
China has since rebuked Takaichi’s remarks and China-Japan relations have deteriorated.
In the phone call, Xi said China and the United States, fighting together in the war against fascism and militarism, should “jointly safeguard the victory of World War II.”
The United States has not taken sides on the self-governing island’s sovereignty but opposes the use of force to seize Taiwan.
It is mandatory under domestic law to provide the island with adequate equipment to deter any armed attack.
Trump remained strategically uncertain about whether he would send US troops in the event of a war in the Taiwan Strait.
His administration has called on Taiwan to increase its military budget.
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