Trump’s Taiwan call upsets Chinese
President-elect is unapologetic about roiling diplomatic waters with his decision to speak with Taiwanese president
BEIJING — On Friday, President Xi Jinping told Henry Kissinger that he hoped for “stability” in U.S.China ties under the new administration. Nobody told Donald Trump.
The president-elect broke with four decades of diplomatic practice by talking on the phone Friday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen, a breach of protocol that could disrupt U.S.China ties before the inauguration.
The 10-minute phone call is believed to be the first time that a U.S. president or president-elect and a Taiwanese leader have spoken since the late 1970s.
It left Beijing fuming and China-watchers the world over wondering, “Is this a slip-up or a major shift?”
The United States formally recognized the government in Beijing as representing China in 1978 and has pursued a “One China” policy since 1972, when thenPresident Richard M. Nixon visited China. But although the U.S. government ended official relations with Taiwan in 1979, U.S. presidential administrations have maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan, which has become a thriving democracy.
Beijing remains hypersensitive to questions of Taiwan’s status and is apt to treat any change in protocol or policy as a provocation -even if it’s just a phone call.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday that Beijing had lodged an official complaint with the United States. Asked about the incident, Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the call as a “petty” move by Ms. Tsai. “The One China principle is the foundation for heathy development of Sino-U.S. relations. We don’t wish for anything to obstruct or ruin this foundation,” Mr. Wang said.
Experts predicted continuing anger as Beijing takes stock over the weekend. “This is a heavy blow,” said Zhu Feng, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Nanjing University.
Questions remain about the conversation between Mr. Trump and Ms. Tsai. The president-elect tweeted Friday that Ms. Tsai called him, rather than the other way around: “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” and “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.”
But Ms. Tsai’s office later said the call was arranged in advance by both sides.
Analysts are divided on whether it represented a mix-up between the two governments or a more significant signal about the type of foreign policy that can be expected from the U.S. president-elect.
“My guess is that Trump himself doesn’t have clue,” said Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “That he had no idea about Beijing’s neuralgia on Taiwan.”
Susan Shirk, chair of the 21st Century China Program at the University of California at San Diego, said it was an “impulsive” move and a “bad sign for Trump foreign policy.”
The call and Trump’s subsequent tweets raised fresh questions about who is advising the president-elect on Asia policy.
Paul Haenle, who was on the National Security Council staffs of former president George W. Bush and President Barack Obama and is now director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, said the incident showed the importance of Mr. Trump taking daily intelligence briefings, consulting with experts at the State Department and Department of Defense and quickly assembling a China team.
Past administrations took a “no surprises” approach to Beijing, Mr. Haenle said. “The alternative -- catching China by surprise on some of the most sensitive and long-standing areas of disagreement in our relationship -- presents enormous risks and potential detriment for this consequential relationship.”
That means damage control before Inauguration Day, experts said.
That Mr. Trump is the president-elect and not yet the president leaves Beijing some room to maneuver, said Shen Dingli, deputy dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Shanghai’s Fudan University.
“If he were president of the United States now, this could lead to a breaking-off of diplomatic relations between China and the U.S.”
“Having this mishap occur before he is president is better than having it occur after he is president,” said Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Privately, I expect Beijing to find a way to give him an education on Taiwan.”