On May 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare phone call to US President Donald Trump, focusing on two sensitive issues: Taiwan and Ukraine. Amidst heightened tensions between Japan and China following Japan's statement that it would intervene in a Taiwan Strait conflict, Xi emphasized to Trump that Taiwan's return to China is"an important component of the post-war international order," attempting to influence Trump's policies toward Taiwan.
Trump, meanwhile, shifted the focus of the talks to the progress being made in the Ukraine peace negotiations. This rare high-level interaction initiated by Beijing is seen as Xi Jinping's attempt to take advantage of the wavering US policy to push Washington closer to Beijing's position on the Taiwan issue.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a phone call to US President Donald Trump on the 24th to discuss the Taiwan issue, which has recently escalated due to Japan's tougher stance on Taiwan's autonomy. This is an unusual diplomatic move.
While Xi Jinping focused on Taiwan, sources familiar with the matter revealed that Trump shifted the conversation to Ukraine, as peace talks between Washington and Kyiv appear to be making progress, and Trump is trying to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to a decisive end.
Taiwan and Ukraine are both sensitive issues in US-China relations, but the two leaders rarely link them together in a single conversation. According to sources, this call, initiated by Xi Jinping, made this high-level communication a rare diplomatic gesture from China.
According to Chinese state media, during the call, Xi Jinping stated in Mandarin with Trump:"Taiwan's return to China is an important part of the post-World War II international order." Xi also used a sharp historical analogy, pointing out that since the US and China"stood shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism" during World War II, they should now jointly safeguard these post-war achievements. This statement suggests that Beijing is attempting to support its sovereignty claims over Taiwan with historical treaties rather than a unilateral narrative.
As for Trump, Chinese state media reported that Trump said the United States"understands the importance of the Taiwan issue to China."
Trump did not mention Taiwan on social media.
However, in his post on Truth Social on the 24th, Trump made no mention of Taiwan or the diplomatic crisis between Beijing and Tokyo. This omission may further worry Asian allies who are already uneasy about US commitments. Trump stated that he discussed issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war, fentanyl, and soybeans with Xi Jinping. He also said that he had accepted Xi's invitation to visit Beijing next April, and indicated that Xi would also visit the US later next year.
Trump wrote,"Our relationship with China is very strong!" Xi Jinping proactively called Trump because tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over the Taiwan issue are escalating. Beijing must ensure that Washington, as an ally of the Tokyo Treaty, maintains its"one China" stance—that is, Beijing's claim of"only" one China. Beijing views Taiwan as territory that must be"unified" with mainland China, and is prepared to use force if necessary.
This tension stems from a warning issued by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the 7th. She stated that Japan would intervene in any conflict if China were to seize Taiwan. This statement angered Beijing, which sent a letter to the United Nations accusing Japan of threatening"military intervention." Another event that infuriated Beijing was a post on the X platform by the US State Department, reiterating the firm commitment of the US-Japan alliance and resolutely opposing any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, according to sources, Xi Jinping sees a strategic opportunity to influence Trump’s view on Taiwan. Unlike former President Joe Biden, the businessman-turned-politician avoids publicly stating whether the United States would militarily intervene to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Trump stated that publicly pledging military intervention would diminish his negotiating power with Xi Jinping, who has also said that Xi promised not to invade Taiwan during his term. However, Beijing has never acknowledged making such a promise. Meanwhile, recent actions by the US government have unsettled Taiwan, including the Trump administration's delay in military aid, with Taiwan fearing it might be sacrificed by the US in exchange for an economic agreement with China.
Evan Medeiros, a former senior national security official in the Obama administration and now a professor at Georgetown University, pointed out:"It is highly unusual for Xi Jinping to take the initiative to make the call, which highlights that Xi believes he now has an opportunity to influence Trump's views. Taiwan policy is almost certainly at the heart of Xi's thinking, an attempt to bring the United States closer to China's position on Taiwan's future."
Xi Jinping is unwilling to discuss Taiwan in a third country.
The mention of Taiwan in their phone call is particularly noteworthy because the issue was unusually excluded from their face-to-face meeting in South Korea last month. According to sources, Xi Jinping was unwilling to discuss such a sensitive topic in a third country, and there were many pressing issues to address during that 90-minute meeting.
Therefore, sources indicate that Xi Jinping has decided to raise the Taiwan issue directly when Trump visits Beijing next April. Beijing hopes Trump will stay on their home turf for several days to pressure him to move beyond long-standing"strategic ambiguity" and formally state that the US "opposes" Taiwan independence and supports "peaceful reunification." Beijing hopes these changes in US policy will further isolate Taiwan.
The only instance in modern Chinese history of a Chinese leader taking the initiative to contact the US president was on September 11, 2001, when then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin sent a message of condolence to US President Bush after the terrorist attacks in the United States. However, even in that incident, according to Chinese official accounts, it was still the US president who initiated the call.
Although China stated that the phone call on the 24th focused on Taiwan, sources familiar with the matter said that Trump raised the issue of Ukraine. Chinese state media reported that Xi Jinping emphasized that"China supports all efforts made for peace."
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China has provided significant diplomatic and economic support to Moscow. Now, as Trump pushes for an end to the war, Beijing also hopes to play a more prominent and active role in the peace agreement. Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, believes that China is also watching the progress of the Ukraine peace agreement and feels the need to participate more actively.
