Amid Beijing-Tokyo rift, Trump dials 'friend' Sanae Takaichi hours after overnight call with Xi

Trump is positioning himself as a go‑between in the escalating China‑Japan standoff over Taiwan, holding back‑to‑back calls with Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as tensions spike over Tokyo’s tougher line and planned missile deployments near Taiwan. Takaichi said the conversation, requested by Trump, focused on strengthening the Japan–US alliance and the wider Indo‑Pacific situation, and she highlighted Trump’s description of her as a “close friend,” signaling tight Washington–Tokyo coordination that is likely to further irritate Beijing. While Japan insists its official China policy is unchanged and still stresses a peaceful resolution over Taiwan, it has refused to retract Takaichi’s earlier suggestion that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a Japanese military response, keeping Tokyo–Beijing ties in a deep chill even as the US tries to manage both relationships.