Crisis Averted: China Calls Taiwan Phone Call A "Gimmick" As It Lodges Diplomatic Protest
By Tyler Durden
Following yesterday’s unexpected phone call between Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen and President-elect Trump, which broke with decades of foreign policy norms resulting from Washington’s official “One China” stance….
NEW PHOTO: Taiwan releases photo of President Tsai Ing-wen, center, speaking with Trump during controversial call https://t.co/Gt2CAiKH7K pic.twitter.com/RoLIjWlYML
— ABC News (@ABC) December 3, 2016
… and which spooked numerous foreign policy pundits, concerned that China would see the call as a hostile act by the Trump team and lead to a material deterioration in US-China relations, which also prompted Trump to take to twitter on Friday night to explain that he did not initiate the call but was merely responding to good wishes from the president of Taiwan…
The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016
….and further poked the hypocrisy of the US establishment by saying “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call” in a follow up tweet…
Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016
… China responded on Saturday morning in two ways.
First, as Xinhua writes in its English edition, it “lodged solemn representations with the United States, urging the latter to honor its commitment to the one-China policy, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Saturday.”
“It must be stated that, there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents China. Those are all facts recognized by the international community,” Geng said. The one-China principle is the political foundation for the China-U.S. relations, Geng said.
The White House on Friday reaffirmed backing for its long-standing support of the one-China policy and the three China-U.S. joint communiques. “We remain firmly committed to our one-China policy based on the three joint communiques,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price told local media. “Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations.”
Geng also urged “relevant parties in the US to honor the commitment to the one-China policy as well as the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, and to handle Taiwan-related issues with caution and care to avoid unnecessarily interfering with the overall situation of Sino-US relations.” That was interpreted as a direct warning to Trump to be careful while observing international diplomatic protocol, especially when China is involved.
According to AFP, it was not immediately clear whether Trump’s telephone call with Tsai Ing-wen marked a deliberate pivot away from Washington’s official “One China” stance, but it fuelled fears he is improvising on international affairs. China added that the one-China principle is a cornerstone for healthy development of Sino-U.S. relations, and China does not want this political foundation to be interfered with …read more
Source: Crisis Averted: China Calls Taiwan Phone Call A "Gimmick" As It Lodges Diplomatic Protest
