Chinese leader condemned Japan PM as militaristic during U.S.-China summit

TOKYO - Chinese President Xi Jinping condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during the two-day summit earlier this month with U.S. President Donald Trump, criticizing her push to boost Japan's defense capabilities as neo-militaristic, diplomatic sources said Sunday.

Xi and Trump met for the first time in Beijing between May 14 and 15 since Takaichi suggested in parliament last November that Japan could deploy its defense forces in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing, escalating tensions between the two Asian neighbors whose diplomatic ties have long been strained by Japan's wartime aggression.