ISTANBUL

Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump on Monday that the return of Taiwan to China is an important part of the post-war international order, Chinese state media reported.

Xi told his US counterpart in a phone call that Beijing and Washington should jointly safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, Xi said, Xinhua reported.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers on Nov. 7 that any Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally amount to a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially allowing Japan to “exercise the right of collective self-defense.”

Her remarks triggered massive backlash from Beijing, with China advising against travel to Japan, reimposing a ban on imports of seafood, among other restrictive measures.

Taiwan remains a central flashpoint in US-China relations. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taipei has insisted on independence since 1949.

The US supports Taiwan's defense under the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances governing policy toward the island.

Japan is a key military ally of the US in region, with more than 50,000 American soldiers deployed on the archipelago nation under a mutual defense treaty.

During the phone call, Xi and Trump also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Xi emphasized China's support for all efforts toward peace. He expressed hope that all parties will continue to reduce their disagreements and reach a peace agreement as soon as possible.

A 28-point US plan to end the over 3 1/2-year-old Moscow-Kyiv war is on the table in Geneva, where representatives of Washington, Kyiv, and European capitals met to discuss details.

The call came weeks after Xi and Trump held a summit on Oct. 30 in Busan, South Korea, where the two sides agreed to a one-year trade and tariff agreement.

After their meeting in Busan, Trump said Taiwan did not come up for discussions.

Busan meeting ‘successful,’ says Xi

During phone call on Monday, Xi described the meeting in Busan as “successful,” with both sides reaching many “important common understandings,” that helped to recalibrate “the course of the giant ship of China-US relations.”

The China-US relations have since then maintained a steady and positive trajectory, which is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community, Xi said.

The Chinese president urged the two sides to expand the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, create new space for China-US cooperation, and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.

The White House has confirmed the meeting, with no information about its content.

While Chinese state media remained silent on who sought the call, according to the US-based The Wall Street Journal, it was Xi who initiated the phone call, describing it as a move "transforming the high-level communication into a strategic, and rare, diplomatic overture" from the Chinese side.

Xi’s decision to "initiate the call is an uncommon show of proactive outreach from Beijing, signaling the high strategic value it places on stabilizing the US relationship—and, specifically, ensuring Washington’s commitment to its One China position on Taiwan," it added.