What?…

U.S. President Donald Trump held a cordial hour-long call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 24, reaffirming plans to visit Beijing and noting “big-picture” progress since their Busan summit. The call came as China–Japan tensions have sharply escalated following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on exercising collective self-defense in a Taiwan contingency. Yet Trump did not clearly back Japan, with Beijing even quoting him as acknowledging China’s sensitivity over Taiwan. His later call with Takaichi offered explanations but no explicit support, heightening concerns about his transactional approach toward allies including Korea. [PARK YONG-SEOK]