US President Donald Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to talk directly with Japan during their White House summit last month, pushing back when Xi criticized Tokyo and describing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a "strong leader," according to Japanese government sources cited by the Yomiuri Shimbun on October 2. Reuters separately confirmed with a Japanese government source the same day that Trump had raised "the need for Japan China dialogue" with Xi.
The reported intervention comes as relations between Tokyo and Beijing remain frozen nearly a year after Takaichi told parliament in November 2025 that a "Taiwan contingency" could constitute a "survival threatening situation" for Japan, a legal threshold under which Japan may use force alongside its allies. Beijing has since demanded she take back the remarks, and formal talks between the two countries' leaders and foreign ministers have not resumed.
What Trump Reportedly Told Xi
According to the Yomiuri, Xi criticized Japan while discussing the situation in East Asia during his September 24 meeting with Trump at the White House. Rather than agree, Trump praised Takaichi as a strong leader and encouraged Xi to speak with Japan directly. The Yomiuri also reported that Takaichi had told Trump during their own meeting in New York on September 22 that Japan was willing to hold talks with China, two days before Trump sat down with Xi.
Two Accounts Of How The Message Reached Tokyo
The Yomiuri's account rests on what Trump told Takaichi in a phone call on September 26, as relayed to the newspaper by Japanese government officials. After that call, Takaichi told reporters Trump had given her a "detailed" briefing on the US China summit, but declined to share specifics. That means key details, including Xi's criticism of Japan and Trump's praise for Takaichi, have not been publicly confirmed by either Washington or Beijing.
Reuters' source offered a somewhat different picture: Trump did not personally explain the point about Japan China dialogue during the September 26 call, the source said, and the message was instead passed to Tokyo afterward through other levels of the US government. The source added that Xi's response was unknown and that any improvement in ties would depend heavily on the intentions of both Tokyo and Beijing. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to comment on exchanges between governments.
Not The First Time Trump Has Defended Takaichi Before Xi
A similar episode surfaced after Trump's visit to Beijing in May. The Yomiuri reported at the time that Xi had told Trump both Takaichi and Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te posed a threat to regional peace, and that Trump replied Takaichi was not the kind of leader who deserved such criticism, according to Reuters. Japanese journalist Kotaro Takaguchi has pointed out that both accounts followed the same pattern, emerging through Japanese government sources only after Trump spoke with Takaichi by phone, and cautioned against treating them as a verbatim record of what was said in the room.
Beijing Softens Its Wording But Not Its Demand
Four days after the White House summit, on September 28, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Beijing. Iwaya holds no government post and traveled as chairman of the Japan International Trade Promotion Association, leading a business delegation. Wang called on Japan to "correct as soon as possible the erroneous words and actions of its leader on the Taiwan question," a clear reference to Takaichi's remarks, in what is believed to be his first formal meeting with a Japanese politician since the dispute began.
As recently as February, China's foreign ministry was still demanding that Takaichi "withdraw" her remarks. Wang's choice of "correct" matters: a withdrawal could only mean Takaichi publicly retracting her answer in parliament, while a correction could take many forms. Takaguchi has cautioned, however, that Beijing's phrasing now covers "words and actions," a broader target than her remarks alone, and that it is too early to call this a shift toward goodwill. There is also no evidence linking the change in wording to Trump's intervention.
All Eyes On The APEC Summit In Shenzhen
The Yomiuri reported that Takaichi plans to visit China for the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, and suggested Trump may have had that gathering in mind when he urged Xi to talk with her. Takaichi herself has kept her public position unchanged, saying she will not prejudge her diplomatic schedule but that dialogue at every level matters precisely because the two countries have outstanding issues. She repeated that line on October 1, the day before the Yomiuri report. Beijing has not said whether Xi will meet Takaichi at the summit he is hosting.
Economic Pressure May Be Pushing Beijing To Look For An Exit
Akio Takahara, a leading Japanese expert on Chinese politics, offered another explanation for Beijing's recent moves on TBS's Sunday Morning program on October 4. He argued that China's hard line toward Japan had gained it little, and that with its economy struggling, voices inside China had begun asking whether the approach to Japan should change, with Beijing's posture softening slightly since around the summer. Because the economy remains China's top concern, he suggested, any thaw is likely to be gradual, starting with economic exchanges before broader political ties, much like drawing back the curtains before slowly opening the window.
Seen that way, Beijing's warm reception for Iwaya and Japanese business leaders does not necessarily mean the dispute over Takaichi's Taiwan remarks has been resolved. It may instead reflect an effort to loosen its grip first in trade and investment, where its practical interests are greatest, while the political deadlock remains in place.
