US President Donald Trump has urged Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to avoid further escalation of tensions with China, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
Diplomatic tensions have sharply escalated after Takaichi told parliament earlier this month that a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan, which would also pose a threat to Japan, could justify a military response from Tokyo. The statement sparked a sharp reaction in Beijing, which even warned its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
According to information from Japanese sources, during a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Trump stressed to Takaichi that he did not want the dispute to escalate further. At a regular press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara refused to go into details about the “diplomatic conversation“.
The contact between Trump and the Japanese prime minister was made after the US president also held a conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. According to Xinhua news agency, Xi said that the return of Taiwan is among the main goals in Beijing's vision of world order. However, democratically governed Taiwan rejects China's claims to sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Defense issued a direct warning to Japan. Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said that Tokyo would pay a “painful price” if it crossed the line on the Taiwan issue. “The People's Liberation Army has powerful capabilities and reliable means to defeat any enemy that undertakes an invasion. "If the Japanese side dares to cross the line even by half a step, it will create serious problems for itself and will inevitably pay a high price," he stressed.