During a phone call with US President Donald Trump on the evening of 24/11, President Xi Jinping stated, "China and the United States once fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Now, the two countries should cooperate to protect the achievements of World War II," Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi clarified China's principled position on the Taiwan issue, emphasizing that the island's "return to China is an inseparable part of the post-war international order".

President Donald Trump (left) and President Xi Jinping. Photo: AFP

The Chinese President also urged both countries to "maintain the momentum of developing relations" following his meeting with US President Donald Trump last month in Busan, South Korea, where they aimed to ease ongoing trade tensions.

Xi affirmed that the successful meeting in South Korea "helped reorient the course and inject more momentum for the giant China-US ship to move forward". He added, "Since the meeting, relations between the two countries have remained stable and continued to improve, which is highly appreciated by both sides and the international community".

Addressing the Ukraine conflict, Xi affirmed that "China supports all efforts committed to peace and hopes that all parties will continue to narrow differences to reach a fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement as soon as possible to resolve the root causes of the crisis".

A White House official confirmed President Trump and President Xi spoke by phone, but offered no further details.

China consistently views Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory and is prepared to use all measures for unification. Chinese leaders have also repeatedly stated they do not rule out the use of force to reclaim the island, though their general policy favors dialogue and peaceful unification.

The Taiwan issue recently strained China-Japan relations after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that Japan could deploy its defense forces if an attack on Taiwan posed an existential threat to Japan.

China reacted angrily, demanding Takaichi retract her statement, banning seafood, halting the release of Japanese films, and warning its citizens against visiting Japan.

In mid-month, China's Ministry of National Defense warned Japan would face "catastrophic" military defeat if it used force to intervene in the Taiwan issue.

Vu Hoang (According to Reuters, AFP, Xinhua)