WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump called Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi this week and advised her not to provoke Beijing on the question of Taiwan’s sovereignty, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese officials and an American briefed on the call.
Trump spoke with Takaichi after Chinese President Xi Jinping called the US president and spoke about China’s historic claim to the democratic self-governing island as well as Washington and Beijing’s joint responsibility to manage the world order, the Journal said.
Takaichi had remarked earlier in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response, causing a diplomatic furor with China.
The Journal reported that Trump’s advice to Takaichi was subtle, and he did not pressure Takaichi to walk back her comments.