US President Donald Trump on Monday held a telephonic conversation with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and discussed several issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the trade between the two countries and also about Taiwan.
"We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers - and it will only get better. Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" posted the Republic leader on Truth Social after his conversation.
During their conversation, Xi told Trump that Taiwan's return to mainland China is an integral part of the post-war international order, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The conversation came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said Japan's military could get involved if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its rule. Japan is an important ally of the US in the region.
Beijing has since rebuked Takaichi's remarks, and China-Japan relations have plunged to a new low.
Xi in the phone call said China and the US, which fought together during the war against fascism and militarism, should jointly safeguard the victory of World War II."
The US has taken no side on the sovereignty of the self-governed island but is opposed to the use of force to seize Taiwan. It is obligated by a domestic law to provide sufficient hardware to the island to deter any armed attack.
Trump has maintained strategic ambiguity about whether he would send US troops in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait. His administration has urged Taiwan to increase its defence budget.
Earlier this month, Taiwan's foreign ministry said it received official notification that the Trump administration approved a USD 330 million arms sales to Taiwan, including fighter jet parts. Beijing immediately protested the arms sale, saying it grossly violated the one-China principle, by which Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory. China deplores and opposes that, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said then.
The two leaders also discussed trade, but the Chinese statement did not reveal any concrete agreements on matters such as purchases of American soybeans.
In the call, Xi said the bilateral relationship has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory following the Busan summit, and he said the two sides should strive to make more positive progress, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The two leaders also discussed the Ukraine crisis, the Chinese side said, when Xi said the crisis should be resolved at its root.
(With AP inputs)
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