China’s Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday as Beijing looks to play a bigger role in Ukraine peace talks and assert its claims over Taiwan.
The rare call comes as China — which has supported Russia’s war economy — sees Washington advance negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow and “feels the need to be more involved,” an expert said.
The call also comes as Beijing’s tensions with Tokyo escalate over the Japanese premier’s comments about Taiwan: Xi emphasized to Trump that Taiwan’s “return to China is an important component of the postwar international order,” state media wrote. Beijing was angered by the US’ recent missile system sale to Taipei, and is “pressuring all countries” to pick a side, Bloomberg wrote.