Things are getting interesting in the western Pacific, with Japan barking at China over Taiwan, and China still insisting that Taiwan should be under Chinese Communist Party rule, anyway. In an interesting new development, China seems to have reached out to President Trump; the two will be meeting in Beijing in April, with another meeting to be set in the USA at some later point in 2026.
The two national leaders spoke on the phone Monday, on topics ranging from Taiwan to soybeans.
President Donald Trump said he has accepted an invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Beijing in April and that he reciprocated by inviting Xi for a state visit to the U.S. later next year.
Trump made the announcement a few hours after he spoke with Xi on the phone on Monday morning, in which he said the two men discussed issues including Ukraine, fentanyl, and soybeans. The phone call came nearly one month after the two men met in person in the South Korean city of Busan.
"Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" Trump said.
Beijing, which announced the phone call first, said nothing about the state visits but said that the two leaders discussed trade, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, stirred up tensions by noting that Japan may come to Taiwan's aid in the event of any attack by China on the island state. It would make sense for Japan, which has been dialing its military back in, to come to the defense of another democracy, even if China doesn't see it that way, but that would escalate tensions between Japan and the Middle Kingdom.
There are indications that it may be China that reached out first with the call to President Trump.
The Chinese, who in the past always pointed out that their leader picked up the call "upon request", didn't say such for Monday's call. "That means China called Trump," said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center.
"My best guess is China is worried about the escalation (in tensions) with Japan. The reference to Taiwan and the post-WWII order directly points to the spat with Japan over Taiwan," said Sun.
This whole thing puts the United States in an interesting position - and by "interesting" I mean "in the sense of the ancient Chinese curse."
Read More: US-China Air War: Control of the Pacific Now Hangs in the Balance
What This Chinese Spy Got Away With in Kathy Hochul’s Name Boggles the Mind, Court Docs Reveal
Consider the positions of these three nations. China is the United States' primary geopolitical rival. They have been the primary source of precursors for the deadly fentanyl being smuggled into the United States. They have stolen technology, sponsored hacking attacks against American institutions and the American government; Chinese nationals have been caught smuggling biological materials into the country; they are not a friendly nation.
Japan, on the other hand, is America's best ally in the Pacific, save perhaps Australia.
The one thing Japan and China have in common, along with Russia, is that they are poised on the edge of a demographic cliff, and all three nations have one foot in the air, about to step over the edge. In the next 10 to 20 years, all three nations may look very different unless they can arrest their demographic crash.
Two of these three nations have nuclear weapons. Japan could, very quickly; we shouldn't doubt Japan's capabilities to make weapons if they decide they need them, probably within six months.
So, President Trump is going to go make nice with Xi Jinping. That's probably for the best; we won't start shooting at each other as long as we're still talking.
We hope.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member