President Donald Trump reportedly urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to engage in direct talks with Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae during last month's US-China summit. This suggestion comes after high-level communications between China and Japan ceased following Takaichi's remarks in November about Japan's potential exercise of collective self-defense in the event of a Taiwan crisis.
According to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun on October 2, citing multiple Japanese government officials, Trump conveyed the details of the summit held on September 24 in Washington to Takaichi during a phone call on September 26.
Trump stated that Xi criticized Japan's actions regarding the East Asian situation during the summit. China has intensified its criticism of Takaichi's security policies, labeling them as 'new militarism.' However, Trump did not share this view, describing Takaichi as a 'strong leader' and encouraging dialogue between China and Japan. Following the call, Takaichi refrained from disclosing specific details but confirmed that the US and Japan agreed to contribute to regional and global peace and stability.
Official dialogues between China and Japan at the summit and foreign minister levels have effectively halted since Takaichi's comments in November regarding Taiwan. At that time, Takaichi indicated that Japan could exercise collective self-defense in a 'situational crisis' concerning Taiwan, prompting a strong backlash from China. Since then, Takaichi has reiterated the importance of communication and expressed that dialogue is always open.
On September 22, just two days before the US-China summit, Takaichi conveyed her openness to dialogue with China during a US-Japan summit in New York. A senior Japanese government official told the Yomiuri that the prior coordination between the US and Japan proved beneficial, demonstrating the strong trust between the two leaders. The deterioration of Japan-China relations was also discussed during the US-China summit in May, where Trump was reported to have defended Takaichi.
Meanwhile, on October 2, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang referred to Takaichi simply as 'Takaichi Sanae' during a press conference on September 30, omitting her title. This marked the first time the ministry has addressed Takaichi without using 'Prime Minister' or 'Takaichi-san.'
According to the Nikkei, the omission of Takaichi's title is significant, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry is known for its careful choice of words, indicating that this was not a mere slip of the tongue. The report noted that even during the tenure of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who visited the Yasukuni Shrine annually from 2001 to 2006, the ministry consistently referred to him as 'Prime Minister Koizumi.'
However, the Nikkei also noted that while the Xi administration is at odds with Takaichi, it continues to engage with other Japanese politicians and business figures who maintain distance from her government. For instance, former Foreign Minister Takeaki Iwaya met with Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo and Foreign Minister, as well as Vice Premier He Lifeng during a visit to China last month.
Takaichi is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, next month. The Yomiuri speculated that Trump's encouragement for Xi to engage in dialogue with Takaichi may be aimed at facilitating discussions during international meetings such as APEC.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.