Shadow of Xi summit hangs over Trump's high-stakes talks with Japan's Takaichi

When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday, the leader casting the longest shadow over the meeting will not even be in the building. Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday — two days after Takaichi meets the U.S. leader on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. It will be Xi’s first state visit to the U.S. in over 10 years. Faced with an unpredictable American president eager for tangible results ahead of what could be a tough November midterm election, Japan is working to ensure its vital interests are not traded away at the Xi-Trump summit. The Takaichi-Trump talks will unfold amid frosty ties between Tokyo and Beijing. Takaichi’s remarks last November that an attack on Taiwan could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan infuriated Beijing and sparked months of diplomatic freeze. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washin