We fought militarism together: Xi plays Taiwan card in call with Trump

When Donald Trump and Xi Jinping sat down in South Korea last month to discuss a pause in their trade war, Taiwan surprisingly didn't come up. Now the biggest flashpoint between the US and China is firmly back on the agenda.

In an hourlong phone call with Trump on Monday, Xi seized on a diplomatic row with Japan in a bid to assert China's sovereignty over Taiwan-and shape US policy in its favour.

Framing Beijing's claim as an "integral part of the post-World War II international order," the Chinese leader reminded Trump that their nations once fought side by side against fascism and "militarism"-a thinly veiled nod to Japan's expansionist past.


Trump made no mention of Taiwan or Japan in his statement on the call, instead stressing progress on trade and calling relations with China "extremely strong!"

Takaichi-Trump Talk
Meanwhile, "call me anytime" was the message Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she received from Trump on Tuesday in their first phone call since the diplomatic bust-up with China.

Takaichi's off-the-cuff remark in parliament earlier this month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger Japanese military action prompted a furious response from Beijing that has included a boycott on travel to Japan.

In brief remarks following her call with Trump on Tuesday, Takaichi sought to dispel any concerns that the US president did not have her back.

"President Trump mentioned that he and I are extremely good friends, and that I should call him anytime," Takaichi told reporters, adding that it was Trump who took the initiative to reach out to her. Trump explained to Takaichi the recent state of US-China relations including his phone call with Xi, she added. Xi told Trump in that call that Taiwan's "return to China" is a key part of Beijing's vision for the world order, China's official news agency reported.

'Return to China Not Possible'
Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people. "We must once again emphasise that the Republic of China, Taiwan, is a fully sovereign and independent country," Cho told reporters outside parliament, referring to the island's formal name.

China has offered Taiwan a "one country, two systems" model, which enjoys no support from any mainstream Taiwanese political party and has been rejected by President Lai Ching-te.

Bessent Says Trump and Xi May Meet Four Times IN 2026
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there may be as many as four meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next year as both sides look to keep in place a fragile trade truce.

EU SET TO TAKE ON China's Rare Earths 'Racket
The European Union must ramp up efforts to break its dependence on China for rare earths faced with export curbs that amount to a "racket" by Beijing, the bloc's industry chief said Tuesday. "It is high time for Europe to step up its game. To redouble its efforts to reduce our dependencies on China," European Commission vice president Stephane Sejourne told EU lawmakers.