Xi-Trump Call - Gaining the Strategic Initiative in Tech Competition - Continued Pressure on Japan
Here are the key reports and articles from the People’s Daily’s edition on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
Page 1: The big story today, of course, is the phone call between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The Chinese readout (English text) says:
“President Xi noted that we had a successful meeting in Busan last month, and reached many important common understandings. We recalibrated the course of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations and provided more momentum for it to sail forward steadily, thus sending a positive message to the world. Since then, the China-U.S. relationship has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community. What has happened demonstrates yet again that the description of China-U.S. cooperation benefiting both sides and confrontation hurting both sides reflects a common sense that has been repeatedly proven by experience, and the vision of China and the U.S. helping each other succeed and prospering together is a tangible prospect within reach. The two sides should keep up the momentum, keep moving forward in the right direction on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, so as to make more positive progress, create new space for China-U.S. cooperation and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.
“President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order. China and the U.S. fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII.”
It adds:
“President Trump noted that President Xi is a great leader. I very much enjoyed our meeting in Busan, and fully share your comments about the China-U.S. relationship. The two sides are implementing all elements of what we agreed to in Busan. China was a big part of the victory of WWII. The U.S. understands how important the Taiwan question is to China. The two presidents also discussed the Ukraine crisis. President Xi emphasized China’s support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date, and resolve the crisis at its root.”
In his Truth Social post, Trump said:
“I just had a very good telephone call with President Xi, of China. We discussed many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products, etc. We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers — and it will only get better. Our relationship with China is extremely strong! This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture. To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year. We agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
As evident, the Chinese readout does not talk about fentanyl or soybeans, while Trump’s post does not mention Taiwan. The Chinese readout also does not talk about bilateral visits. I am not certain what Trump means when says “now we can set our sights on the big picture.”
WSJ says that Xi Jinping was the one who initiated the call. The report adds:
“Xi’s decision to initiate the call is an uncommon show of proactive outreach from Beijing, signaling the high strategic value it places on stabilizing the U.S. relationship—and, specifically, ensuring Washington’s commitment to its One China position on Taiwan. ‘It is highly unusual for Xi to initiate a call, and it underscores the opportunity Xi believes he has to shape President Trump’s views,’ said Evan Medeiros, a former senior national-security official in the Obama administration and now a professor at Georgetown University. ‘Taiwan policy is almost certainly at the center of Xi’s thinking, pulling the U.S. closer to China’s thinking about Taiwan’s future’.”
On Chinese purchase of US farm products, this from NYT is important:
“After the meeting in South Korea, the Trump administration said China had agreed to resume purchases of American soybeans. The Chinese government, however, never specifically confirmed the details of that agreement. Brooke Rollins, the agriculture secretary, said on CNBC on Monday that China has now bought about 1.5 million metric tons of soybeans since Oct. 1, a total that is far short of the 12 million metric tons that the Trump administration said the Chinese government has pledged to purchase by the end of the year. ‘We’ve got a significant way to go,’ Ms. Rollins said. ‘Every sign is that their commitment remains true’. Ms. Rollins said that the terms of the deal with China still needed to be finalized. She also explained that the preliminary agreement did not demand that the soybeans were shipped by the end of the year, but that orders needed to be placed.”
Another aspect of the picture is the sale of advanced tech products:
“Amid the truce, the Trump administration has also been debating what kind of American A.I. technology to sell to China. Tech executives favor selling more advanced products to the country to try to keep Chinese companies from developing competing goods, but some Washington officials still see any effort to aid China’s A.I. industry as a national security threat. In an interview on Bloomberg TV on Monday, Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary in charge of technology export licenses, said that Mr. Trump was listening to various advisers with different opinions on the topic, and that the decision about whether to sell the H200, a more advanced chip made by Nvidia, was ‘on his desk’. ‘He is going to weigh those decisions’, Mr. Lutnick said of the president. ‘He understands President Xi the best. He will decide whether we go forward with that or not’.”
Moving on, there’s a report on the page about the launch of an international science program focused on fusion burning plasma research in Hefei. China Daily reports:
“The international program, initiated by the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Plasma Physics, will provide global access to the country’s multiple major fusion research platforms, including the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak, or BEST, facility in Hefei. At the launch event, fusion scientists from more than 10 countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Germany, jointly signed and released the Hefei Fusion Declaration to promote open science and encourage researchers worldwide to join in fusion research efforts in China. Fusion energy, which replicates the sun’s power generation process, is hailed as an ideal clean energy source. For decades, scientists have used techniques like magnetic confinement to create the extreme conditions required for fusion. Dubbed the ‘artificial sun’, the tokamak device is basically a magnetic cage designed to confine, shape and control super-hot plasmas that make fusion reactions possible. Unlike previous fusion experimental devices, BEST is designed to demonstrate actual ‘burning’ of deuterium-tritium plasma. The facility has attracted significant public attention since the beginning of its full-scale assembly in Hefei in May.”
There’s also a long feature article on the page emphasising the importance of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and the need to focus on the development of new-quality productive forces as critical to “gaining the strategic initiative amid fierce international competition.”
“The 15th Five-Year Plan Proposal document states that ‘we must consolidate and expand our advantages, break through bottlenecks and constraints, and reinforce weak links and shortcomings, so as to win strategic initiative amid fierce international competition.’ Over the next five years, to continue advancing high-quality development, it is necessary to use scientific and technological innovation to lead the development of new-quality productive forces, and to continuously shape new advantages and new drivers of development. Changes contain opportunities, and challenges inspire fighting spirit. By fully leveraging the advantages of the new national system, seizing the historical opportunities of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and through unremitting efforts and continuous struggle, consensus is being built, and actions are becoming more resolute.” “十五五”规划建议提出，“要巩固拓展优势、破除瓶颈制约、补强短板弱项，在激烈国际竞争中赢得战略主动”。未来5年，持续推进高质量发展，必须以科技创新引领新质生产力发展，不断塑造发展新优势新动能。变局蕴含机遇，挑战激发斗志。充分发挥新型举国体制优势，抓住新一轮科技革命和产业变革历史机遇，不懈努力、接续奋斗，共识在凝聚，行动更坚定.
The first section of the article talks about the need to strengthen the foundation. It says:
“Scientific and technological revolution and great-power competition are intertwined with each other, with competition in new technologies and new tracks becoming even more intense. It is especially necessary to firm up the foundation, and put in effort on originality and disruptive innovation. Further consolidating the foundation of self-reliance and self-strengthening is important to break through the predicament of ‘what others have, we lack’. Key and core technologies cannot be obtained through requests, cannot be obtained through purchases, and cannot be obtained by begging. Only through independent innovation can we solve the ‘choke-point’ problems.
China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System provides global precision navigation services; domestically developed operating systems help solidify the autonomy of digital economic development; and high-end bearings strengthen the equipment manufacturing industry…In recent years, breakthroughs in key and core technologies have continuously enhanced the security and resilience of the industrial and supply chains. Hou Jianguo, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that tackling key and core technologies requires emphasis on original innovation and breakthroughs in fundamental technologies to fundamentally resolve principle-based and foundational issues.
Further strengthening the source of self-reliance and self-strengthening requires not only having the technology but also being strong in a particular domain. Breaking through bottlenecks, Professor Zhang Qiang’s team in Tsinghua University’s Department of Chemical Engineering successfully developed a new fluorinated polyether electrolyte, building high-safety polymer batteries with extremely high energy density, opening new ideas for developing practical high-safety, high-energy-density solid-state lithium batteries.
Strengthening basic research is an urgent requirement for achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance. Basic research funding has increased by more than 70% compared to 2020, and the number of high-level international journal articles and international patent applications has ranked first in the world for five consecutive years…Building on the momentum established during the 14th FYP period, the 15th FYP further proposes to ‘strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research, increase the proportion of investment in basic research, and increase long-term stable support’, pointing out the direction and focus. ‘Basic research is the primary source and foundation of original innovation. Enhancing basic-research and original-innovation capabilities must start from strengthening stable support and encouraging free exploration,’ experts believe.” 科技革命与大国博弈相互交织，新技术新赛道竞争更趋激烈，尤其需要打牢地基，从原创性、颠覆性上下功夫。进一步筑牢自立自强的根基，破解“人有我无”困局。关键核心技术要不来、买不来、讨不来，唯有靠自主创新解决“卡脖子”难题。中国北斗提供全球精准导航服务，国产操作系统助力把牢数字经济发展自主权，高端轴承让装备行业“腰杆”更硬……近年来，关键核心技术领域的一个个突破，不断增强产业链供应链安全和韧性。中国科学院院长侯建国认为，关键核心技术攻关要注重原始创新和根技术突破，从根本上解决原理性、基础性问题。进一步增强自立自强的源头供给，不仅要有，还要强。突破瓶颈，清华大学化工系教授张强团队成功开发出一种新型含氟聚醚电解质，构筑出能量密度极高的高安全聚合物电池，为开发实用化的高安全性、高能量密度固态锂电池打开新思路。“加强基础研究，是实现高水平科技自立自强的迫切要求”。基础研究经费较2020年增长超过70%，高水平国际期刊论文数量和国际专利申请量连续5年世界第一……在“十四五”积厚成势基础上，“十五五”规划建议进一步提出“加强基础研究战略性、前瞻性、体系化布局，提高基础研究投入比重，加大长期稳定支持”，指明方向和着力点。“基础研究是原始创新最主要的源泉和根基，增强基础研究和原始创新能力要从强化稳定支持和鼓励自由探索着手。”有关专家认为。
The second section talks about the need to scale new heights. It says that:
“Time magazine recently released its list of the 300 Best Inventions of 2025, covering cutting-edge fields such as AI, robotics, and wearable technologies. More than 20 Chinese technology companies and their innovative products featured in the list, including Unitree Robotics, DeepSeek, and Huawei. In the field of AI, China has produced several general-purpose models that have reached international advanced levels, with some models achieving an accuracy rate exceeding 95%. Over 100 benchmark application scenarios have been created, striving to seize the commanding heights of AI industrial application and continuously consolidating the foundation of Digital China.
Looking across the world, the high-technology domain has become the very front line and main battlefield of international competition, profoundly reshaping the global order and development pattern. The building of a strong science-and-technology nation advances in step with basically achieving socialist modernisation; the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology are self-evident. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasised: ‘We must further enhance our sense of urgency, further increase our efforts in scientific and technological innovation, and seize the commanding heights of technological competition and future development’. ‘Deploying and implementing a number of major national science and technology tasks’, ‘producing more landmark original achievements’ … the 15th FYP proposal made key deployments for ‘seizing the commanding heights of scientific and technological development,’ setting a clear goal of ‘significantly increasing the number of areas where we are on par with or lead the world’.” 美国《时代》周刊最近发布2025年度300项最佳发明榜单，涵盖人工智能、机器人、可穿戴技术等多个前沿领域，中国20余家科技公司及其创新产品入选，包括宇树科技、深度求索、华为等。在人工智能领域，我国涌现出多个达到国际先进水平的通用大模型，部分模型准确率突破95%，打造百余个标杆应用场景，努力抢占人工智能产业应用制高点，持续夯实数字中国底座。放眼世界，高技术领域成为国际竞争最前沿和主战场，深刻重塑全球秩序和发展格局。建成科技强国又与基本实现社会主义现代化同步，科技的战略先导地位和根本支撑作用不言而喻。习近平总书记强调：“必须进一步增强紧迫感，进一步加大科技创新力度，抢占科技竞争和未来发展制高点。” “部署实施一批国家重大科技任务”“产出更多标志性原创成果”……“十五五”规划建议对“抢占科技发展制高点”作出重点部署，设立“并跑领跑领域明显增多”的明确目标.
The piece adds that seizing the commanding heights implies competing in terms of hard innovation strength, and seizing the commanding heights tests even more the capability of the innovation system. In the context of the latter, it says:
China’s tremendous success in the aerospace field, achieved by fully leveraging the advantages of its new national system, is backed by the success of its entire aerospace industrial system, talent system, and organizational management system. Coordinating the development of national strategic scientific and technological forces and enhancing systematic problem-solving capabilities are crucial. In the next five years, global technological competition will intensify. To hold the initiative and the right to speak, it is necessary to complete the systemic construction from ‘single-point breakthroughs’ to ‘systematized capability’. ‘The key is to move beyond the traditional understanding of “simply concentrating resources for breakthroughs.” While emphasising the mobilisation of multiple forces through national and governmental coordination to overcome difficulties, it is even more important to focus on building a complete innovation ecosystem from basic research to the transformation of results,’ said Liu Xiaoling, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Sciences. 充分发挥新型举国体制优势，中国在航天领域取得巨大成功，背靠的是整个国家的航天工业体系、人才体系和组织管理体系的成功。统筹国家战略科技力量建设，增强体系化攻关能力。未来5年，全球科技竞争更加激烈，掌握主动权、话语权，必须要完成从“单点突破”到“体系化能力”的系统性构建。“关键要跳出‘单纯集中力量攻关’的传统认知，既要强调通过国家、政府统筹集聚多方力量攻坚克难，更注重从基础研究到成果转化的完整创新生态构建。”上海科学院研究员刘小玲说.
The next point is about the importance of skilled talents. The piece says that in 2024, China was home to 1,405 highly cited scientists, a 50% increase from 2021, accounting for one-fifth of the world’s total.
The final section of the article talks about the importance of technological innovation for green development and for high-quality development.
Page 3: A couple of exchanges from yesterday’s MoFA press conference are published in the paper today.
CNR: It’s reported that regarding China’s letter to the UN Secretary-General on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, the Japanese government spokesperson said to reporters during the G20 Summit that China’s claims that Prime Minister Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on Taiwan is ‘entirely baseless’. The spokesperson said Japan has repeatedly explained to the Chinese side the gist of the remarks and Japan’s consistent position, and added that Tokyo is ‘committed to dialogue’ with China. What’s China’s response?
Mao Ning: China has articulated its position multiple times on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Those remarks seriously violate the principles laid down in the four political documents between China and Japan, and has fundamentally eroded the political foundation of China-Japan relations.
We’ve noted the Japanese side’s reference to Japan’s ‘consistent position’ on the Taiwan question. But what exactly do they mean by this so-called ‘consistent position?’ Can Japan articulate this ‘consistent position’ in its entirety to the public? If Japan merely keeps repeating that its position has not changed without specifying what that position is and meanwhile keeps crossing the line, then this kind of repetition means nothing but empty words, and simply fudges and hollows out the one-China position. The one-China principle is an unshakable prevailing consensus in the international community. If there has truly been no change to the Japanese government’s position on the Taiwan question, Japan should unequivocally uphold the one-China principle, and abide by the spirit of the four political documents between the two countries and honor the commitments Japan has made, including what has been stated in the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement that ‘the Government of Japan recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China,’ and ‘the Government of the People’s Republic of China reiterates that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China. The Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation.”
Why can’t Japan fully and accurately reiterate this position? China urges the Japanese side to take seriously what it has heard from China, do serious soul-searching and correct its wrongdoing, act to honor its commitment to China, and stop pursuing its misguided course, still less say one thing but do another.” (Note: To be fair, none of what Mao has quoted from the 1972 statement implies that Japan agrees to PRC’s sovereignty over Taiwan.)
Another bit that’s reproduced is this:
Reuters: I want to ask about the comments by the Japanese defense minister over the weekend who said about the deployment of the missile unit to the Yonaguni Island. He said that medium-range surface-to-air missile units were planned to deploy in Yonaguni to protect the island’s safety. ‘We believe that having this unit in place will actually lower the chances of an armed attack against our country, so I don’t agree with the argument that this deployment will increase tensions in the region.’ What’s your comment to the remarks by Mr. Koizumi?
Mao Ning: Japan’s deployment of offensive weapons in Southwest Islands close to China’s Taiwan region is a deliberate move that breeds regional tensions and stokes military confrontation. Given Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks on Taiwan, this move is extremely dangerous and should put Japan’s neighboring countries and the international community on high alert. The Potsdam Proclamation explicitly stipulates that Japan shall not be permitted to ‘re-arm for war’. The Japanese Constitution, which enshrines pacifism, also established Japan’s exclusively defense-oriented policy.
It is alarming, however, that in recent years, Japan has drastically readjusted its security policy, increased defense budget year after year, relaxed restrictions on arms export, sought to develop offensive weapons, and planned to abandon its three non-nuclear principles. Japan’s right-wing provocateurs are trying every means to break free from the pacifist constitution, going further down the path of military buildup and leading Japan and the region to disastrous outcomes.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the recovery of Taiwan. China will never allow Japan’s right-wing provocateurs to turn back the wheel of history, never allow external forces to lay their hands on China’s Taiwan region, and never allow the resurgence of Japan’s militarism. China is resolved in and capable of defending national and territorial sovereignty.”
Another report talks about He Lifeng’s chat with French Finance Minister Roland Lescure. Xinhua says:
“The two sides exchanged in-depth views on recent economic and financial cooperation between the two countries, as well as issues of common concern. He, China’s lead person in the China-France High Level Economic and Financial Dialogue, said that China stands ready to work with France to deepen exchange and cooperation in the fields of the economy and finance, to promote continuous new achievements in China-France economic and trade cooperation, and to provide stability and positive energy for the world economy. Lescure, France’s lead person in the dialogue, said that France is willing to strengthen practical cooperation with China in the economy, trade and investment in the fields of the economy and finance, and to promote greater progress in economic and trade relations between the two countries.”
Page 10: Two important reports to note.
First, Wang Huimin, former head of China’s top anti-graft authority’s discipline inspection and supervision team sent to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), has been expelled from the CPC due to serious discipline and law violations.
Upon investigation, it was found that Wang Huimin had lost his ideals and convictions, betrayed his original aspiration and mission, deviated from the Party Central Committee’s basic strategy of targeted poverty alleviation, acted arbitrarily and made reckless decisions, causing serious consequences; violated the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations by improperly accepting banquets; lacked organisational principles, failed to report personal matters as required, sought benefits for others in employee recruitment and other work, and accepted money and gifts; lost his integrity baseline, condoning and acquiescing to relatives and associates using his power or influence to seek personal gain; he had an improper family style, failing to supervise and educate his family members; and violated discipline and laws, engaged in large-scale exchanges of favors, amassed wealth, and used his position to benefit others in areas such as company listings, private placements, and promotions, illegally accepting huge sums of money. 经查，王会民丧失理想信念，背弃初心使命，背离党中央关于精准扶贫精准脱贫的基本方略，擅权妄为、盲目决策，造成严重后果；违反中央八项规定精神，违规接受宴请；组织原则缺失，不按规定报告个人有关事项，在职工录用等工作中为他人谋取利益并收受财物；廉洁底线失守，纵容默许亲属、特定关系人利用其职权或者职务影响谋取私利；家风不正，对家人失管失教；执纪违纪，执法犯法，大搞利益交换，大肆收钱敛财，利用职务便利为他人在企业上市、定增融资、职务晋升等方面谋利，并非法收受巨额财物.
The report says that Wang violated “political discipline, organisational discipline, integrity discipline, and life discipline.”
Another report informs that Ye Hanbing, former vice-governor of the People’s Government of Sichuan Province, as well as former director of Sichuan provincial public security department, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office over serious violations of Party disciplines and national laws.
An investigation revealed that Ye Hanbing had lost his ideals and beliefs, betrayed his original aspirations and mission, engaged in factionalism, superstitious activities, and resisted organisational scrutiny; he violated the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations by accepting banquets and travel arrangements that could influence the impartial performance of his official duties, improperly frequented private clubs, improperly allocating and using official vehicles, and improperly having subordinate units or others pay expenses that should have been paid by himself; he violated organisational principles by seeking benefits for others in cadre selection and appointment and accepting bribes; he breached the bottom line of integrity by improperly accepting gifts and money, and using his power or influence to seek benefits for relatives; he improperly interfered in law enforcement activities; and his family style was improper; he used his position to seek benefits for others in project contracting and business operations, and illegally accepted huge amounts of money. 经查，叶寒冰丧失理想信念，背弃初心使命，搞团团伙伙，搞迷信活动，对抗组织审查；违反中央八项规定精神，接受可能影响公正执行公务的宴请、旅游活动安排，违规出入私人会所，违规配备、使用公务用车，违规由下属单位或他人支付应由本人支付的费用；违反组织原则，在干部选拔任用工作中为他人谋利并收受财物；廉洁底线失守，违规收受礼品、礼金，利用职权或职务影响为亲属谋利；违规干预、插手执法活动；家风不正；利用职务便利为他人在工程承揽、企业经营等方面谋利，并非法收受巨额财物.
He violated the Party’s political discipline, organisational discipline, integrity discipline, work discipline, and life discipline.