US China G2 Momentum Break on Taiwan?

Is the G2 Buzz raised by US President Donald Trump on his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to the APEC summit fizzling on the Taiwan issue?

Days after having met at the APEC Summit in South Korea, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a telephone conversation.

This is unusual given that talks between top leaders of the G 2 – United States and China or for that matter other countries in the World do take time to prepare and do not occur as frequently as in a space of weeks or months.

What is also unusual is that the call was initiated by the Chinese President Xi Jinping generally known to be reticent on such protocol.

Was it to affirm the progress of the engagement in South Korea, to discuss important developments that have taken place thereafter including serious negotiations to end the War in Ukraine or was it to flag the Taiwan issue.

So there is much speculation on the necessity felt by the Chinese President to make a telephone call to Mr Trump so early after the Summit which was touted as coming together of two great powers a new G2 – US and China.

The high level call however shows the faultlines in G2 axis going beyond words with Taiwan factor emerging as a possible concern.

The statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the talks between the two President mentions Taiwan thus, “President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order. China and the U.S. fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII”.

Linked to developments in recent weeks on Taiwan which may have irked Beijing possibly leading to the call to the US President.

Firstly, US arms sales to China,. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to a query concerning the recently announced 330-million-U.S.-dollar U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. "We firmly oppose U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear," Chen said, adding that such a move seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests, and sent a seriously wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. He urged the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques -- especially the August 17 Communique -- stop indulging and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and approach the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence.

A statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a Diet meeting on Nov. 7 that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan has led to a flurry of adverse messaging from China.

China is asking Japan to elucidate its self-claimed consistent stance on the Taiwan question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said even as tourism has been restricted to Tokyo. With the Japanese sticking to the PM’s statement, tensions are brewing.

The Philippines' joint naval drills with the United States Indo-Pacific Command and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Nov. 14-15 in the South China Sea is also possibly irking the Chinese enough to fly a bomber patrol over the exercise area..

According to a statement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the exercise reflected the Philippines’ “commitment to safeguarding the nation’s sovereign rights and advancing collective defense readiness alongside trusted partners,” on X. 

“These engagements highlight not only the Philippines’ steadfast resolve to defend its maritime domains but also its shared commitment with partners to strengthen deterrence, enhance interoperability, and uphold freedom of navigation under a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific,” the statement added.

Indeed there is limited clarity at present on the early call between the two Presidents but Taiwan appears to be a critical issue and President Xi possibly sought to highlight Mr Trump the sensitivity.

Statements China and United States

For the Record the Statements by both sides are now appended below-

Chinese Statement - President Xi Jinping Speaks with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the Phone

On the evening of November 24, 2025, President Xi Jinping spoke with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on the phone.

President Xi noted that we had a successful meeting in Busan last month, and reached many important common understandings. We recalibrated the course of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations and provided more momentum for it to sail forward steadily, thus sending a positive message to the world. Since then, the China-U.S. relationship has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community. What has happened demonstrates yet again that the description of China-U.S. cooperation benefiting both sides and confrontation hurting both sides reflects a common sense that has been repeatedly proven by experience, and the vision of China and the U.S. helping each other succeed and prospering together is a tangible prospect within reach. The two sides should keep up the momentum, keep moving forward in the right direction on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, so as to make more positive progress, create new space for China-U.S. cooperation and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.

President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order. China and the U.S. fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII.

President Trump noted that President Xi is a great leader. I very much enjoyed our meeting in Busan, and fully share your comments about the China-U.S. relationship. The two sides are implementing all elements of what we agreed to in Busan. China was a big part of the victory of WWII. The U.S. understands how important the Taiwan question is to China.

The two presidents also discussed the Ukraine crisis. President Xi emphasized China’s support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date, and resolve the crisis at its root.

President’s Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth Social post, said:-

“I just had a very good telephone call with President Xi, of China. We discussed many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products, etc. We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers — and it will only get better. Our relationship with China is extremely strong! This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture. To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year. We agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”