Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a sharp and emotionally charged attack on Japan’s expanding military posture during his summit with former US President Donald Trump in Beijing, according to details first reported by the Financial Times. Sources familiar with the high-level discussions said Xi became visibly agitated while criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and warning against what he described as Japan’s dangerous “remilitarisation.”
The confrontation reportedly became the most intense moment of the two-day summit between Xi and Trump. According to the Financial Times, US officials were surprised by the force of Xi’s remarks because Japan had not previously been a major topic in discussions with Chinese counterparts leading up to the meeting. Several individuals familiar with the summit described Xi’s comments as unusually vocal and confrontational.
Xi focused heavily on Japan’s growing defense spending and increasingly assertive security posture. In response, Trump reportedly defended Tokyo’s military expansion by pointing to the rising threat posed by North Korea, although it remains unclear whether he directly referenced China’s own military activities as part of the discussion.
The exchange reflects rapidly worsening relations between Beijing and Tokyo, driven by regional security concerns, Taiwan tensions, and military competition across East Asia. Analysts say Xi’s remarks underscore Beijing’s alarm over Japan’s accelerating defense transformation and its closer military cooperation with regional allies.
Christopher Johnstone, a former senior White House official specializing in Japan, told the Financial Times that Xi’s aggressive rhetoric could ultimately strengthen Japan’s determination to become more self-reliant in security matters. He argued that China’s increasingly hostile posture is pushing Tokyo to deepen defense ties with countries such as Australia, the Philippines, and South Korea, all of which share concerns over China’s growing regional assertiveness.
Japan has steadily intensified its defense strategy in recent years, repeatedly identifying China as its greatest strategic challenge in official defense white papers. Since 2023, Tokyo has described Chinese military activities as the primary threat to regional stability, surpassing even North Korea in strategic concern. Draft sections of Japan’s 2026 defense review reportedly express serious concern over China’s expanding military cooperation with Russia and its increasingly aggressive actions in nearby waters and airspace.
Tensions escalated sharply after Prime Minister Takaichi stated in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could represent an “existential threat” to Japan, potentially justifying military deployment. Although her remarks did not officially alter Japan’s policy, they provoked a fierce response from Beijing and triggered a wave of Chinese criticism against Tokyo.
China has since intensified both its rhetoric and economic pressure against Japan. Beijing recently accused Japanese “right-wing forces” of pushing the country toward neo-militarism while condemning Tokyo’s rising defense budget, which increased by nearly 10 percent in 2025. Chinese officials claimed Japan’s image as a peaceful nation was fading as military spending continued to rise for the fourteenth consecutive year.
At the same time, China itself remains the world’s second-largest military spender. According to figures cited in the Financial Times report, Beijing increased defense spending by 7.4 percent last year to approximately $336 billion, marking its thirty-first consecutive annual military budget increase. Japan’s military spending stood at roughly $62 billion.
The summit also exposed growing anxieties within Tokyo about the reliability of the United States as a security partner under Trump. Japanese officials reportedly worried ahead of the Beijing meeting about whether Trump would publicly support Japan amid rising tensions with China. Although Trump later spoke with Takaichi by phone while returning to Washington aboard Air Force One, neither government disclosed details of the conversation.
A senior US official later stated that Trump emphasized his respect for the Japanese people and highlighted America’s large military presence in Japan during discussions with Chinese officials. However, concerns persist in Tokyo over broader US foreign policy decisions, including tariffs imposed on allies and fears that American military deterrence against China could weaken due to conflicts elsewhere, including tensions involving Iran.
The Financial Times also reported that the United States recently informed Japan of significant delays in delivering 400 Tomahawk missiles ordered by Tokyo in 2024 as part of its new “counterstrike” capability against China. The delay has fueled additional concerns inside Japan over the future strength of the US-Japan alliance.
Meanwhile, questions surrounding Taiwan continue to complicate relations between Washington and Beijing. Trump reportedly described a pending $14 billion arms package for Taiwan as a useful “negotiating chip” with China during the summit, alarming both allies and observers across the region. The Financial Times further reported that China is delaying a potential visit to Beijing by top Pentagon official Elbridge Colby until Washington clarifies whether it intends to approve the Taiwan weapons sale.
China’s embassy in Washington defended Beijing’s position by accusing Japanese political forces of undermining regional peace and demanding that Tokyo halt what it called reckless remilitarisation efforts. Japanese officials declined public comment on the reported exchange between Xi and Trump.
The summit has intensified concerns that East Asia is entering a far more confrontational era, with military buildups, Taiwan tensions, and strategic rivalries increasingly dominating relations between the region’s major powers.
