Trump wades into China and Japan's escalating dispute over Taiwan

President Donald Trump has spoken with the leaders of U.S. ally Japan and rival superpower China amid the two Asian countries’ escalating dispute over Taiwan.

HONG KONG — President Donald Trump has spoken with the leaders of U.S. ally Japan and rival superpower China amid the pair’s escalating dispute over Taiwan.

Trump’s surprise call Monday with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, was followed by a call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who angered China earlier this month with comments on the Beijing-claimed island democracy.

Both China and Japan said Trump initiated the calls, which the White House has not confirmed.

The dispute began when Takaichi, who was elected last month, told lawmakers that a hypothetical Chinese attack on self-ruling Taiwan, which at its closest point is about 70 miles from Japanese territory, could threaten Japan’s survival and trigger a military response from Tokyo.

It was the first time such an explicit remark had been made by a sitting prime minister of Japan, which like the United States has long been deliberately vague as to whether it would intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan.