Why Japanese PM Takaichi is still keen to roll out the welcome mat for Trump
Japan’s hopes for a visit by Donald Trump during his trip to Asia next month may be hanging in the balance as relations between China and the United States steadily improve. The US president spent three days in Japan ahead of last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and his meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was hailed as a sign of a “new golden age” in the countries’…
Japan is considering whether to welcome Donald Trump during his upcoming Asia trip, as relations between China and the United States continue to improve. President Trump visited Japan last year for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and his meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was seen as a positive sign for the relationship.
However, Takaichi's comments about Taiwan have caused concern in Japan, as they have led to a deterioration in relations with China. Japan has been lobbying for Trump to visit Japan next month, ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila, in order to demonstrate the strength of the US-Japan alliance. Trump is already scheduled to attend the summit and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but there are doubts about whether he will add Japan to his itinerary.
The US and Japan are dialogue partners for ASEAN, and Trump is expected to meet with Takaichi at the event to reaffirm the importance of the Japan-US alliance.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
