And the Stupidity of Trump Comes Home to Roost

China Lodges Protest After Trump Call With Taiwan President
“The one China principle is the political basis of the China-U.S. relationship.”
12/03/2016 09:53 am ET

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  ASSOCIATED PRESS
  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, left, speaking during a “USA Thank You” tour event in Cincinatti Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, and Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, delivering a speech during National Day celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, Oct. 10, 2016.
  
  China lodged a diplomatic protest on Saturday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, but blamed the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own for the “petty” move.
  
  The 10-minute telephone call with Taiwan’s leadership was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “one China”.
  
  China’s Foreign Ministry said it had lodged “stern representations” with what it called the “relevant U.S. side”, urging the careful handling of the Taiwan issue to avoid any unnecessary disturbances in ties.
  
  “The one China principle is the political basis of the China-U.S. relationship,” it said.
  
  The wording implied the protest had gone to the Trump camp, but the ministry provided no explanation.
  
  Speaking earlier, hours after Friday’s telephone call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointedly blamed Taiwan for the exchange, rather than Trump, a billionaire businessman with little foreign policy experience.
  
  “This is just the Taiwan side engaging in a petty action, and cannot change the ‘one China’ structure already formed by the international community,” Wang said at an academic forum in Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.
  
  “I believe that it won’t change the longstanding ‘one China’ policy of the United States government.”
  
  In comments at the same forum, Wang noted how quickly President Xi Jinping and Trump had spoken by telephone after Trump’s victory, and that Trump had praised China as a great country.
  
  Wang said that exchange had sent “a very positive signal about the future development of Sino-U.S. relations”, according to the ministry’s website. Taiwan was not mentioned in that call, according to an official Chinese transcript.
  
  China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also called the conversation a “petty” move by Taiwan that does not change the island’s status as part of China. Beijing is resolute in opposing independence for Taiwan, it added.
  
  Trump said on Twitter that Tsai had initiated the call he had with the Taiwan president. “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” he said.
  
  Alex Huang, a spokesman for Tsai, said: “Of course both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact.”
  
  WAYWARD PROVINCE
  
  Trump and Tsai noted that “close economic, political and security ties exist between Taiwan and the United States”, the Trump transition team said in a statement. Taiwan’s presidential office said the two discussed strengthening bilateral interactions and establishing closer cooperation.
  
  China considers Taiwan a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Relations between the two sides have worsened since Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in January.
  
  Chinese state media downplayed the possibility of a major blow-up in Beijing’s relations with Washington as Trump prepares to assume office.
  
  Influential state-run tabloid the Global Times said in an online editorial that if Trump really overturned the “one China” principle upon assuming office it would create such a crisis with China he’d have little time to do anything else.
  
  “We believe this is not something the shrewd Trump wants to do.”
  
  China’s official Xinhua news agency said Trump needed to know Beijing can be a “cooperative partner” as long as Washington respects China’s core interests, including the issue of Taiwan.
  
  “China and the United States are not destined rivals,” it said in an English-language commentary.
  
  Washington remains Taiwan’s most important political ally and sole arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the irony of which was not lost on Trump.
  
  “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call,” Trump said in another tweet.
  
  Trump has eschewed tradition in other calls with foreign leaders since he won the U.S. election, prompting the White House to encourage him to make use of the diplomatic expertise and counsel of the State Department.
  
  Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said on CNN that Trump was “well aware of what U.S. policy has been” on Taiwan.
  
  Administration officials said Trump’s team did not alert the White House about the call ahead of time. The White House also said after Trump’s call that “longstanding policy” on China and Taiwan had not changed.
  
  Advisers to the Republican president-elect have indicated that he is likely to take a more robust policy toward China than Obama, a Democrat, and that Trump plans to boost the U.S. military in part in response to China’s increasing power in Asia. However, details of his plans remain scant.
  
  Trump lambasted China throughout the U.S. election campaign, drumming up headlines with pledges to slap 45 percent tariffs on imported Chinese goods and label the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office.
  
  Earlier this week, Trump spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and praised him, according to the Pakistani leader’s office, as a “terrific guy”.
  
  Islamabad and Washington have seen relations sour in recent years over U.S. accusations that Pakistan shelters Islamist militants who kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a charge denied by the South Asian nation.
  
  Trump also invited Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during what a Duterte aide said was a “very engaging, animated” phone conversation. Duterte has openly insulted Obama, who canceled a planned meeting with him in September.
  
  A statement issued by Trump’s transition team made no mention of the invitation.

 

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Obama WH Forced To Clean Up MASSIVE Mess Trump Made With Taiwan Call
December 3, 2016

Most people do not know much about foreign policy. However, it is pretty much common knowledge for folks who are even casually politically aware that the United States has what’s called a ‘One China’ policy. In other words, we do not recognize the government of Taiwan in any official way. Therefore, we do not communicate with the head of that government for any reason, and we have not done so since 1979, under President Jimmy Carter. In fact, we take great pains to MAKE SURE that we do not offend the official Chinese government and provoke a conflict with even the appearance of recognizing Taiwan. This is such a delicate situation that if it isn’t kept on the straight and narrow, it could very well lead to a war. To that end, it has now become President Obama’s White House’s job to clean up the insane mess Donald Trump has made by communicating with the president of Taiwan. The United States State Department policy on Taiwan states the following:

U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS

The United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship. The 1979 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. In the Joint Communique, the United States recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. The Joint Communique also stated that the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is responsible for implementing U.S. policy toward Taiwan.


The United States does not support Taiwan independence. Maintaining strong, unofficial relations with Taiwan is a major U.S. goal, in line with the U.S. desire to further peace and stability in Asia. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act provides the legal basis for the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan, and enshrines the U.S. commitment to assist Taiwan in maintaining its defensive capability. The United States insists on the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences, opposes unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and encourages both sides to continue their constructive dialogue on the basis of dignity and respect.

Obama White House national security spokesman Ned Price said the following of Trump’s blunder:

“We remain firmly committed to our ‘one China’ policy. Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations.”

Hopefully, more is not needed. However, that seems unlikely, as Trump is already busily tweeting about the call, and seems unaware of the seriousness of what he has done. Trump, of course, being the egomaniac that he is, insisted that the call was simply one of congratulations from the Taiwanese president:



He then went on to lament that people were making a big deal out of his diplomatic faux pas, and once again displayed his ignorance of how serious this is:



If people can’t see how dangerous Donald Trump will be as president after this, I don’t know what will open their eyes. This guy isn’t even in office yet, and he’s already causing insanity. Electoral College, if ever there was a time to do your jobs, it’s now.

 

I believe that this paragraph was aimed at your ilk...

"If people can’t see how dangerous Donald Trump will be as president after this, I don’t know what will open their eyes. This guy isn’t even in office yet, and he’s already causing insanity. Electoral College, if ever there was a time to do your jobs, it’s now."

 

Hahaa. President-elect Trump was well within reason for taking a congratulatory call from the elected leader of the only democracy on Chinese soil.

You have Trump Derangement Syndrome.

 

I have got to see that. It will be a first for them.

 

Trump has no fucking idea what he is doing and this will not workout well for this countryus by any stretch of the imagination. He is just as god damn dumb as most of his supporters.

 

Who the hell cares if China has its panties in wad? The article said China blamed Taiwan anyway.

TDS is strong in this one.

 

He knew more that Hillary and the democrats. I guess that puts him at the head of your class.

 

Lyin Joe is still sniveling? Get over it snowflake.

 

And, apparently, this little controversy has blown over.
Time for the left to find another non-issue to get moron joe & his ilk all lathered up over.