Chinese leader Xi Jinping pressed the ever-sensitive issue of Taiwan in a phone call on Monday with US President Donald Trump, as he stressed the need to build on a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the call touched on other issues, such as Ukraine, but Taiwan featured prominently, with China embroiled in a weeks-long diplomatic row with key US ally Japan over the self-governing island.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and Xi told Trump that its return was an “integral part of the post-war international order” forged in the joint US-China fight against “fascism and militarism”, according to the ministry.

Trump praised “extremely strong” US-China relations in a social media post after the call, but made no mention of the contentious issue of Taiwan. The US president’s statement also confirmed that he will visit China in April, and that Xi will go to Washington later in 2026.

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai hit back at Xi’s comments, telling reporters on Tuesday that Taiwan “is a fully sovereign state” and “there is no such option as return”. (AFP)