After Trump’s Phone Call to Philippines Leader, China’s President Calls Him<br />In what appears to be a remarkable deference to China by the Trump administration, no American Navy ship has gone within 12 miles<br />of any disputed island in the South China Sea claimed by China since Mr. Trump took office, Defense Department officials say.<br />By JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZMAY 3, 2017<br />BEIJING — President Xi Jinping of China spoke by phone on Wednesday with the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, in what Chinese news media described as a friendly call<br />that came just a few days after President Trump’s amicable conversation with the authoritarian Filipino leader.<br />The North Korea crisis has minimized or at least obscured trade disputes<br />and other problems between the United States and China, including China’s territorial claims over most of the South China Sea.<br />The phone call between Mr. Xi and Mr. Duterte came against the backdrop of warming ties between Mr. Xi<br />and Mr. Trump, who is increasingly reliant on China to help contain the crisis over North Korea.<br />that Dialogue with China, Mr. Duterte, said,<br />But they also appeared to be a way of thanking the Philippines for not provoking<br />China over disputed South China Sea islands claimed by both countries.
