Trump urged Xi to talk to Takaichi and lift export curbs on Japan, sources say
Quick Look
US President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to roll back China's export restrictions on Japan during their Washington meeting last month, citing threats to US industries and the US-China trade truce, while Xi warned of risks from Japanese militarism.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The US-China trade truce was reached in Busan last October, establishing a framework for managing bilateral trade tensions.
The Chinese president wasn’t receptive to the requests during last month’s summit, warning of the risk of Japanese militarism
US President Donald Trump pressed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to roll back China’s export curbs on Japan during their meeting in the US, urging talks between the Chinese and Japanese leaders as Tokyo seeks to manage mounting pressure from Beijing.
People familiar with the discussions told the South China Morning Post that Xi also warned Trump about the growing risks of Japanese militarism during their sit-down in Washington last month.
According to the people, while the issue was not one of Trump’s top priorities, the US leader raised Japan’s grievances over Chinese export restrictions – including on rare earths – that have squeezed Japanese industries.
The people – who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly – said Trump framed the Chinese measures as a threat to American industries reliant on Japanese suppliers. As a result, he said they were an indirect violation of the US-China trade truce reached in Busan last October.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
US and China will continue discussions on trade issues including Japan-related export restrictions
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What specific export restrictions did China impose on Japan?
- Did Trump and Xi reach any agreement on the export curbs issue?
- How are Japanese industries currently affected by these restrictions?
