2025.11.25 10:45 (Updated 2025.11.25) | Liu Youlong
US President Donald Trump. (The White House)
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on March 24, exchanging views on issues including the Russia-Ukraine war, fentanyl, and agricultural trade, and confirming that they will pay official visits to each other. However, Trump's subsequent social media post did not mention Taiwan, drawing attention from the outside world.
Trump stated on Truth Social that he and Xi had a "very good phone conversation" discussing the Russia-Ukraine situation and US-China agricultural cooperation, emphasizing that American farmers would benefit from the bilateral agreement. He revealed that he had accepted Xi Jinping's invitation to visit Beijing next April and had reciprocated by inviting Xi to visit the US later next year as a "state visit."
In contrast to Trump's account, Xinhua News Agency released a late-night report on the phone call, emphasizing that both sides discussed Taiwan and that Xi Jinping reiterated to Trump that "Taiwan's return to China is an important part of the post-war international order," adding that the US understands the importance of the Taiwan issue. However, these details are completely absent from Trump's public post, highlighting a discrepancy between the two accounts.
This call occurred at a time of heightened tensions between Japan and China due to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's raising of the "Taiwan emergency" issue in the Diet, which she saw as a potential crisis for Japan's survival. Observers interpreted this as Beijing deliberately placing the Taiwan issue at the heart of the dialogue to elevate its political message and even attempt to pressure Takaichi through Trump.
In response, Premier Cho Jung-tai reiterated today (25th) that "the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country, and there is no option of 'reunification'," emphasizing that Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million people. He stated that amidst changing international circumstances, Beijing's political maneuvering is becoming increasingly frequent, but Taiwan will firmly uphold democracy and sovereignty and will not back down due to external pressure.
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