STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
OK. Chinese state media are reporting at least one thing that President Xi told President Trump.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Xi made a statement about Taiwan. China's president said if that relationship is not handled well, the U.S. and China will clash. He said it could put their whole relationship in jeopardy. The U.S. readout of their conversation makes no mention of Taiwan. Taiwan is a U.S. security partner.
INSKEEP: OK. What do we make of that? NPR's Anthony Kuhn has covered East Asia for many, many years. He joins us from Seoul, South Korea. Anthony, it's good to talk with you.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: You, too, Steve.
INSKEEP: Is Taiwan worried about a warning like the one that came out today?
KUHN: Well, Taiwanese cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee responded to Xi's warning by saying that the sole source of instability in the Taiwan Strait and the region is China's military threat against Taiwan, or put another way, the risk of authoritarian expansion. Previously, the official line out of Taipei has been that the government is concerned but not overly worried. Taiwan's foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, spoke to reporters earlier this week. And he put it this way.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LIN CHIA-LUNG: (Non-English language spoken).
KUHN: "We maintain continuous communication with the U.S.," he said, "both publicly and privately. And we are confident in the stable development of Taiwan-U.S. relations." Now, Lin said he thinks that Taiwan is not high on the U.S. agenda, which is dominated by trade and Iran. But clearly, China puts it front and center. The U.S. government keeps insisting that there is no change in U.S. policy towards Taiwan. But Lin Chia-lung added that ultimately, the U.S. side is led by Trump. And he seems to be suggesting that Trump could veer away from established policy.
INSKEEP: Well, that is an interesting thought because there are a lot of countries in the region that have a stake in the United States and China's relationship. A lot of countries rely on the United States for potential defense against China. And let's talk about a key U.S. ally, Japan. What's Japan saying here?
KUHN: Well, their ties remain at the frostiest they've been in over a decade. And this started back in November, when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Japan could possibly get involved militarily in case of a Chinese attack or blockade of Taiwan. And China launched a global pressure campaign to try to get Takaichi to retract her remarks. That's still going on. President Trump did not exactly leap to Japan's defense right away. Japan still hopes that he will in Beijing, or at least that in his eagerness to cut a deal with China, Trump will not sell out Japan's or Taiwan's interests or use them as a bargaining chip.
INSKEEP: Are there smaller countries in the region that feel like they have to hedge their bets, they have to be friendly with both the U.S. and China?
KUHN: Yes. You could say many countries are double-hedging or triple-hedging. They're trying to stay both on Beijing and Washington's good sides at the same time as they're busy building ties among themselves. These leaders are aware of President Trump's longtime skepticism about allies and alliances. And they've heard his public remarks about a U.S.-China G2, which is shorthand for the U.S. and China taking charge of global governance.
An example of leaders' response is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who just visited Vietnam and Australia. And her message was that middle powers need to cooperate on economic security in order to preserve their own autonomy and protect them from economic coercion by other countries. Another example, of course, is Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who, after he clashed with President Trump over tariffs last year, signed trade and security deals with 12 countries and told leaders at the World Economic Forum that, as he put it, if we're not at the table, we're on the menu.
INSKEEP: NPR's Anthony Kuhn in Seoul, thanks so much.
KUHN: Thanks, Steve.
(SOUNDBITE OF KNOWSUM'S "COCKTAIL") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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