President-elect Donald Trump broke with decades of cautious US diplomacy Friday to speak with the president of Taiwan, at the risk of provoking a serious rift with China.
US President-elect Donald Trump broke with decades of foreign policy to speak with the president of Taiwan, prompting Beijing Saturday to accuse Taipei of a ploy but saying the move would not affect US-China ties.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s telephone call with President Tsai Ing-wen marked a deliberate pivot away from Washington’s official “One China” stance, but fuelled fears he is improvising on international affairs.
China regards self-ruling Taiwan as part of its own territory awaiting reunification under Beijing’s rule, and any US move that would imply support for independence would likely trigger fury.
During Friday’s discussion, Trump and Tsai noted “the close economic, political and security ties” between Taiwan and the United States, according to the president-elect’s office.
“President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year,” it said.
China – the target of much bombastic rhetoric during Trump’s election campaign – labeled the call a “ploy by the Taiwan side that simply cannot change… the One China framework”.
The President of Taiwan CALLED
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