Takaichi says Trump debriefed her on Xi’s visit

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she spoke with US President Donald Trump about last week’s US-China summit in Washington, and touted the “unshakable” bond between the two allies.

Takaichi said Trump called her “right after” hosting a state visit for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and gave her a “detailed” debrief. The two leaders exchanged views on challenges concerning China, including economics and security, she wrote on social media.

“Japan and the United States have now become the most mutually trusting of allies,” Takaichi said. “We confirmed that we will work together to contribute to peace and stability in the region and across the world.”

US President Donald Trump, right, meets with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New York on Tuesday last week.

Photo: AFP

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Japan’s relationship with China has deteriorated since Takaichi in November last year made comments suggesting Tokyo could become involved in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Trump has since been trying to balance ties between Asia’s largest economies. Following his Beijing visit in May, Trump called Takaichi shortly afterward.

Xi was shown unusual deference by a US counterpart during his two-day trip to the country. Trump, 80, praised the health of Xi, 73, calling him “strong, vibrant and fit,” and allowed his guest to invoke so-called China-US cooperation against Japan in World War II — something both sides included in their readouts.

Ahead of Xi’s visit, Takaichi met Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the Republican leader called her a “friend of mine” who is “going to go down as one of the great prime ministers.”

Takaichi moved up her UN speech by two days to catch Trump ahead of his meeting with Xi.

Japan’s first female leader said in a social media post that “holding summit-level talks twice within the span of a single week truly demonstrates the strength of the Japan-US alliance.”