Trump and Xi Hold Phone Call... Xi Says "Return of Taiwan to China Is Core to Postwar International Order"

Reported by China's State-Run Xinhua News Agency

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump and strongly asserted the necessity of Taiwan's return to China, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 24th (local time).

Yonhap News

According to Xinhua News Agency, during the call with President Trump, President Xi stated, "The return of Taiwan is a core element of the postwar international order," and added, "China and the United States fought together in the past against fascism and militarism, and now we must better safeguard the achievements of the victory in World War II."

Xinhua News Agency reported that President Trump said, "China played an important role in the victory of World War II," and "the United States understands how important the Taiwan issue is to China."

The Taiwan issue is a topic that is repeatedly discussed at U.S.-China summits, but the two leaders did not mention it during their meeting in Busan last month. President Xi's recent remarks appear to be linked to the heightened tensions between Japan and China after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested possible intervention in the event of a Taiwan emergency. It is interpreted as China once again emphasizing to the United States, its closest ally of Japan, the necessity of Taiwan's return.

The two leaders also discussed the situation regarding the war in Ukraine.

President Xi said, "China supports all efforts for peace," and expressed hope that "each party can narrow their differences and swiftly conclude a fair, sustainable, and binding peace agreement to fundamentally resolve the current crisis."

Given that the United States and Ukraine launched efforts to establish a peace framework for ending the war in Geneva, Switzerland the previous day, it is believed that President Trump explained the U.S. position on this matter to President Xi.

This call marked the first direct communication between the two leaders since the two countries agreed to a trade truce at the end of October. At that time, the United States reduced the fentanyl tariff imposed on all Chinese imports from 20% to 10%, while China not only suspended rare earth export restrictions for one year but also agreed to resume imports of American soybeans.

This call in particular took place as the two countries were conducting detailed negotiations regarding China's resumption of rare earth exports. The United States is also reviewing whether to allow the sale of Nvidia's advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China. Regarding this, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in a Bloomberg TV interview on the same day, "The President is listening to the opinions of various advisors regarding the potential decision to resume exports," and "the final decision rests on President Trump's desk."