Trump calls Takaichi from Air Force One after China summit

Trump called PM Takaichi from Air Force One on Thursday, giving a “detailed explanation” of his three-day Beijing summit with Xi Jinping.kantei
The White House readout of the Trump-Xi meeting omitted Taiwan, even as Beijing warned mishandling the issue could spark conflict.bloomberg
Secretary of State Rubio said U.S. policy on Taiwan is “unchanged,” while Trump told reporters he hasn’t decided on a pending arms package.wsj

Trump Reaffirms US-Japan Alliance With Takaichi After China Trip

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump reaffirmed an “unwavering” bilateral alliance in a phone call on Thursday evening, according to a readout from the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, as Trump flew home from a three-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.kantei

Trump called Takaichi from aboard Air Force One, The Japan Times reported, providing her with a “detailed explanation” of his talks with Xi. The 15-minute conversation covered China-related economic and security affairs, the war in Iran, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Both leaders agreed to continue close communication and to coordinate ahead of next month’s Group of Seven summit in France.japantimes

Taiwan’s Conspicuous Absence

The call came amid growing scrutiny over the White House’s handling of Taiwan during the Beijing summit. The official White House readout of Trump’s meeting with Xi on May 14 made no mention of Taiwan, even though Beijing’s own account of the talks centered on the issue, with Xi warning that mishandling Taiwan could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries.bloomberg

Trump sidestepped reporters’ questions about Taiwan after the meeting, and a Reuters report noted that the White House readout focused instead on Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, trade, and energy cooperation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling with the U.S. delegation, sought to reassure allies in an NBC interview, saying U.S. policy toward Taiwan was “unchanged” and calling any Chinese attempt to seize the island by force a “grave error”.reuters

Allies Watching Closely

The Trump-Takaichi call echoed a pattern from November 2025, when Trump phoned Takaichi immediately after a conversation with Xi, briefing her on the state of U.S.-China relations. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies had warned ahead of the summit that Beijing would press for restrictions on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and seek shifts in American declaratory policy as a condition for broader stability.csis

Taiwan’s government said Thursday that there were “no surprises” from the summit and urged China to halt its military pressure on the island. Trump told reporters separately that he had not yet decided whether to proceed with a pending arms package for Taiwan.reuters