China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own and hasn’t ruled out taking it by force. Beijing’s apoplectic response to Takaichi’s perceived intervention in China’s affairs has included intense personal attacks on the new prime minister, often linking her with the militarism that fueled Japan’s brutal conduct in World War II.

Trump’s back-to-back calls with Xi and Takaichi did nothing to temper Beijing’s pressure campaign on Tokyo over Taiwan.

The remarks come amid the two countries’ worst diplomatic crisis in years, after the Japanese prime minister said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Donald Trump has held back-to-back calls with Chinese president Xi Jinping and Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi amid a deepening row between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan. Xi told the US president during their hour-long call that “Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order”.

From Hong Kong to Shanghai, a mix of online voices are clamouring to denounce Singapore. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, provoked China earlier this month when she said Japan could consider a military response if China moved to take Taiwan.

US President Donald Trump held back-to-back calls with the leaders of China and Japan, as escalating tensions over Taiwan threaten to derail his weeks-old trade truce with Beijing.