Key points
- Call covers security, economic cooperation
- Taiwan tensions strain Japan–China ties
- Indo-Pacific coordination reaffirmed
TOKYO, Japan: US President Donald Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed to work toward an early meeting in the United States during a phone call late Friday, reaffirming close security and economic cooperation amid rising regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
Trump has already said he will visit China in April, with Tokyo and Beijing in dispute over Takaichi’s suggestion in November that Japan could intervene militarily in case of any attack on Taiwan, reports AFP.
China claims the democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
Takaichi’s comments triggered a sharp diplomatic backlash from China, which has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan and suspended Japanese seafood imports.
She and Trump spoke for 25 minutes, agreeing to further strengthen economic and security cooperation, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said in a statement.
Trump invited Takaichi to visit the United States and “the two leaders concurred to coordinate in detail to realise the visit to the United States this spring”, it said.
Indo-Pacific region
The statement did not make clear whether they talked about China, but Trump and Takaichi also “exchanged views mainly on the Indo-Pacific region and confirmed the close cooperation between Japan and the United States”, it said.
China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships, and coastguard vessels around Taiwan in live-fire drills last week.
The drills drew a chorus of international criticism, including from Japan, Australia, and European countries.
Trump advised Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan during their previous phone call on November 25, according to the Wall Street Journal, but Tokyo denied the report.
