(Reuters) – ‘Call me any time’ was the message that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, in their first telephone call since the Tokyo leader provoked a major diplomatic disagreement with China.
Takaichi’s comment in Parliament earlier this month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action provoked a furious response from Beijing, which included a boycott of travel to Japan.
China claims Taiwan, which is just over 100 km from Japanese territory, and has not ruled out the possibility of using force to take control of the island. The island’s government rejects Beijing’s claim and says only the people of Taiwan can decide its future.
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Trump has not publicly commented on the dispute between Japan — a key U.S. security ally — and rival superpower China, a silence that analysts say will be worrying for some officials in Tokyo.
In brief comments following her call with Trump on Tuesday, Takaichi sought to dispel any concerns that the US president would not support her.
“President Trump mentioned that he and I are very good friends and that I can call him at any time,” Takaichi told reporters, adding that it was Trump who took the initiative to contact her.
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the recent state of relations between the US and China, including her phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, she added.
Xi told Trump in that call that Taiwan’s ‘return to China’ is a key part of Beijing’s vision for world order, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.
Trump touted progress in trade talks and said relations with China are “extremely strong” in a post on Truth Social following his call with Xi. However, he did not mention any discussion of Taiwan.
Japan was relieved that Trump arranged the call so soon after his conversation with Xi, said a government official with knowledge of the conversations, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump’s call with Takaichi.
