Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she had an "extremely significant" conversation with President Donald Trump and would visit the American leader later this year amid escalating regional tensions caused by recent Chinese military exercises around Taiwan, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
"At President Trump's invitation, we also agreed on detailed coordination for my visit to the United States this spring," Takaichi wrote in a Friday post on X.
The conversation between the two allied leaders came after the Chinese military simulated a blockade of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its territory, for two days with live-fire drills. China also launched long-range projectiles into the Taiwan Strait — one of the world's busiest waterways — for the first time since 2022.
The publication notes that Trump initially called the exercises a continuation of long-standing Chinese activity and emphasized his "excellent relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, the US State Department, in a statement made on New Year's Day, accused Beijing of "unnecessarily escalating tensions."
Relations between Japan and China have soured in recent weeks after Takaichi publicly stated that Tokyo could deploy its troops if Beijing attacked Taiwan. Beijing responded with a wave of retaliatory measures, including restricting imports of Japanese seafood and discouraging Chinese citizens from visiting Taiwan.
Takaichi refused to retract her comments, saying that Japan's policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged.
Trump and Takaichi spoke in late November, when the US president briefed her on a phone call with Xi Jinping and recent developments in US-China relations.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also spoke with Trump by phone on Friday, according to a statement from the city-state, and thanked the US president for an invitation to the G20 summit later this year.
US calls on China for restraint after military drills near Taiwan02.01.26, 04:00 • [views_4198]
More broadly, the recent Chinese exercises are a test of Trump's support for Taiwan after the US approved an $11 billion arms package for the island in December, which angered Beijing. China has launched diplomatic efforts to stabilize relations with the US, while trying to make it clear to Washington that it considers Taiwan a "red line," Bloomberg adds.
The conversation between Trump and Takaichi also took place as the US and Japan seek to accelerate a plan for Tokyo to invest $550 billion in the US as part of a broader trade agreement to reduce tariffs. Final approval for the investment will be granted by Trump based on the Committee's recommendations.