Trump Involved in Japan-China Dispute

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had a telephone conversation with United States President Donald Trump in the morning of November 25th (in the evening of November 24th in U.S. eastern time), a half day after Trump had talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping through telephone. Although Takaichi refused to reveal the topic of her talk with Trump, it was more than obvious that they discussed Taiwan, over which Japan and China have a diplomatic row. 

China has been very swift on taking advantage of Takaichi’s reference to Taiwan contingency, indicating Japan’s possible use of force. China demanded Japan to revise and retract Takaichi’s comment, recommended its citizens not to travel to Japan, resumed ban on importing Japanese seafoods and treated Japanese envoy for explaining Japan’s standpoint with arrogant manner.

 

Possibly knowing Japan’s sentiment that it did not want the quarrel stemming from careless statement of its prime minister to go beyond a bilateral dispute, China strategically made the U.S. involved in the fight.

 

In the telephone talk with Trump, Xi underscored that Taiwan’s return to China was an integral part of the post-war international order. “China and U.S. fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of World War II,” Xi reportedly said to Trump, reminding of imperial Japan’s aggression to China.

 

It was reported in China that Trump told Xi that he understood importance of Taiwan issue for China. Trump accepted Xi’s invitation to China next April and Xi will make a state visit to the U.S. next year. It is supposed that China continues diplomatic effort to drive a wedge between Japan and the U.S. by modifying bilateral relations with the U.S. as two major powers in Asia.

 

According to the officials of Japanese government, it was Trump who proposed telephone talk with Takaichi. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara explained that Takaichi and Trump reconfirmed that they would urge China to take its own responsibility equivalent to its international position. Trump told Takaichi about what he had talked with Xi in their telephone conversation. Takaichi was told that she could call Trump anytime.

 

Japan insists that it has not gone beyond the line that Japanese prime minister does not comment on a specific case in Taiwan contingency. The chief representative of Komeito, Tetsuo Saito, asked Takaichi Cabinet whether it maintains principle on recognition of “survival-threatening situation.” The Cabinet officially agreed that Takaichi’s comment on Taiwan contingency did not mean changing Japan’s standpoint.

 

However, it is true that previous Japanese prime ministers were refraining from mentioning specific case in Taiwan, and Takaichi told that deployment of warship and use of force can consist of survival-threatening situation. Takaichi cannot swallow her words once it is uttered.

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