Trump urged Japan to avoid escalation in China dispute, sources say

US President Donald Trump asked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi not to further escalate a dispute with China during talks this week, sources aware of the matter said on Nov 27, as he tries to preserve a fragile trade war truce with Beijing.

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Ms Takaichi touched off the biggest diplomatic dispute with Beijing in years when she told Parliament in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan that threatened Japan could justify a military response.

Her remark enraged Beijing, prompting it to warn its citizens against travel to its East Asian neighbour.

In a telephone call with Ms Takaichi on Nov 25, Mr Trump said he does not want to see any further escalation, said the two Japanese government sources, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.

But Mr Trump made no specific demands of Ms Takaichi, one of the sources said, suggesting he did not echo Beijing’s call for a retraction of the comments. Japan has not offered one, saying that the remarks reflected longstanding policy.

At a regular press briefing on Nov 27, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to comment on the details of the “diplomatic exchange”.