How Beijing Is Using Trump to Isolate Japan

Chinese President Xi held his first phone call with Trump after the Busan summit. It’s clear that the focus was on Japanese PM Takaichi’s remarks over Taiwan, which triggered a diplomatic storm between China and Japan. I would highlight one sentence

中国当年为二战胜利发挥了重要作用，美方理解台湾问题对于中国的重要性。

China played an important role in the victory of World War II, and the U.S. side understands the importance of the Taiwan question to China.

My first reaction is that Beijing now believes that direct diplomatic confrontation with Tokyo would be less effective than engaging Washington at the highest level. When Beijing and Washington send positive signals on this issue, it serves as a blow to Takaichi and the right-wing in Japan. This also parallels what I wrote last week:

“Being dragged in under US pressure is one thing; actively breaking strategic ambiguity while Washington itself is still keeping things vague is, in China’s eyes, something it cannot accept.”

By securing Trump’s acknowledgment that the U.S. “understands the importance of the Taiwan question to China” and linking it to WWII history, Tokyo’s room for maneuver has been constrained. Takaichi’s unilateral declarations on Taiwan now appear not just premature but strategically isolated—she has moved beyond where even Washington is willing to go.

Below is the Chinese official readout:

Xi Jinping pointed out that last month we successfully held a meeting in Busan, South Korea, and reached many important consensuses, which set the course and injected momentum for the giant ship of China-U.S. relations to move forward steadily, and also sent positive signals to the world. Since the Busan meeting, China-U.S. relations have been generally stable and improving, which has been widely welcomed by both countries and the international community. The facts once again demonstrate that “cooperation benefits both while confrontation hurts both” is common sense repeatedly verified through practice, and that “mutual achievement and common prosperity” between China and the U.S. is a tangible reality that can be seen and felt. Both sides should maintain this momentum, adhere to the correct direction, uphold an attitude of equality, respect, and reciprocity, expand the list of cooperation and reduce the list of problems, and strive for more positive progress to open new space for cooperation in China-U.S. relations and better benefit the peoples of both countries and the world.

Xi Jinping expounded on China’s principled position on the Taiwan question, emphasizing that Taiwan’s return to China is an important component of the post-war international order. China and the U.S. once fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism, and should work all the more together to safeguard the fruits of victory in World War II at present.

Trump stated that President Xi Jinping is a great leader. My meeting with President Xi Jinping in Busan was very pleasant, and I completely agree with your views on bilateral relations. Both sides are comprehensively implementing the important consensuses reached at the Busan meeting. China played an important role in the victory of World War II, and the U.S. side understands the importance of the Taiwan question to China.

The two heads of state also discussed the Ukraine crisis. Xi Jinping emphasized that China supports all efforts dedicated to peace and hopes that all parties will continue to narrow their differences and reach a fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement as soon as possible to resolve this crisis at its root.

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