A 'return' to China is not an option, says Taiwan's premier

He described the US relationship with China as “extremely strong”, and said he and Mr Xi had also discussed reciprocal state visits in 2026.

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Tourists from China in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on Nov 22. Tensions rose with China when Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested during a Nov 7 parliamentary debate that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be an existential threat that triggers a military response from Tokyo. An infuriated Beijing launched a pressure campaign, asking its people to avoid travelling to Japan.

(AFP)

A readout provided by China’s Xinhua news agency said that Mr Xi had noted the progress made in bilateral cooperation and spoke of Taiwan's “return” to China.

“President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question,” the readout said.

“He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the postwar international order. China and the US fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of World War II”

The statement added: “China was a big part of the victory of World War II. The US understands how important the Taiwan question is to China.”

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters in Taipei on Nov 25 that a “return” to China is not an option for the island’s 23 million people. Its Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu Chih-chung told Bloomberg that Mr Trump’s lack of overt, public Taiwan references is “the best result” since this suggests the self-governing island is not “part of the deal” in broader US-China talks.

Mr Xi likely initiated the call to nudge the framing of China-Japan tensions over Taiwan as a matter of shared interest rather than a basis for altercation, said Mr David Meale, a former US diplomat who has served in Beijing and Taipei.

“He wants good relations with Trump and will appreciate any help in turning down the volume in the China-Japan spat,” said Mr Meale, who now leads political risk consultancy Eurasia Group’s China practice.