If Trump is going to confront China in such a way what is he going to do to North Korea, nuke them?
begin quote from:
Trump Spoke With Taiwan President in Break With Decades of US Policy
| Wall Street Journal | - |
WASHINGTON—President-elect
Donald Trump spoke with the president of Taiwan on Friday, his
transition team said, a conversation that breaks with decades of U.S.
Trump Spoke With Taiwan President in Break With Decades of U.S. Policy
Leaders ‘noted close’ economic, political and security ties, Trump transition team said
ENLARGE
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivering a speech in Taipei in October.
Photo:
Chiang Ying-ying/Associated Press
The conversation between Mr. Trump and President Tsai Ing-wen runs counter to the longstanding effort by Beijing to block any formal U.S. diplomatic relations with the island off China’s coast. Chinese leaders consider Taiwan a Chinese territory, not a sovereign nation.
It is believed to be the first time a president-elect has spoken with the leader of Taiwan since diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei were cut off in 1979.
“During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political and security ties [that exist] between Taiwan and the U.S.,” the Trump transition team said. “President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming president of Taiwan earlier this year.”
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THE TRUMP TRANSITION
Ms. Tsai recently told The Wall Street Journal that Taiwan is a “a sovereign, independent country,” that like the people of Hong Kong, aspires to “democracy, freedom and human rights.”
China claims Taiwan as its territory, though the island hasn’t been governed by Beijing since a civil war more than 60 years ago. The U.S. gave up formal relations with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
President Barack Obama has walked a fine line on the issue. China has lobbied his administration against agreeing to arms sales to Taiwan, but Mr. Obama has done so anyway. The most recent was in 2015 when the administration approved a $1.83 billion deal.
China pushed back against the decision, as it did on an earlier U.S. arms deal with Taiwan in 2011. Beijing has been ramping up its efforts to isolate Taiwan amid a refusal by President Tsai to accept the so-called 1992 Consensus, under which both sides of the Taiwan Strait agreed to the concept of “One China” only with different interpretations.
Beijing has been in a quandary over how to view Mr. Trump’s election. Some analysts in both countries believe a Trump presidency will be preoccupied with fixing America’s economic problems, presenting China with an opportunity to advance its strategic interests in East Asia. Others see him as a pragmatic deal-maker and discount his fiery rhetoric on trade.
By reaching out to Ms. Tsai, he will push China to decide whether to respond immediately or take more time to ascertain his intentions.
On Taiwan, unlike trade, China isn’t prepared to bargain. No Chinese leader could be seen backing down on the one issue that could realistically draw the U.S. and China into war; there is no political room to maneuver. Several of Mr. Trump’s close Asia advisers believe successive administrations have sacrificed ties with democratic Taiwan as a way of pandering to Beijing.
Mr. Trump’s relationship with China already was complicated by his insistence that he would take a tougher line on Chinese trade practices. He threatened during the campaign to slap tariffs on goods imported from China and formally declare China a manipulator of its currency, a step that could begin formal discussions with Beijing and carry economic penalties.
But he has also suggested that many of his actions are a way of negotiating, giving some foreign diplomats pause as they try to determine how much to read into his behavior.
Write to Damian Paletta at damian.paletta@wsj.com and Carol E. Lee at carol.lee@wsj.com
