Trump Tries to Keep the Peace in Ongoing China-Japan Dispute

US President Donald Trump played the role of mediator in the rumbling spat between China and Japan over their diverging views on Taiwan. Trump held back-to-back calls with the leaders in Beijing and Tokyo as the US attempted to balance ties with Asia’s top two economies.

In his call with Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping pressed his US counterpart on the issue of Taiwan, invoking their countries’ wartime alliance against fascism and urging joint efforts to “safeguard the victory of WWII.” Trump’s public statement after the call sidestepped the issue of Taiwan, focusing instead on agricultural purchases and fentanyl cooperation. The government in Taipei welcomed its omission meanwhile, describing it as the “best result” as it means “we are not part of the deal,” Deputy Foreign Minister François Chihchung Wu said.