Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Trump reaffirms commitment to longtime ‘one China’ policy
President previously had strayed from diplomatic tradition, angering China by taking call with Taiwan’s leader.
BEIJING — President Donald Trump reaffirmed Washington’s long-standing “one China” policy in a call with Beijing’s leader, a move that could ease anger in China over his earlier suggestions that he might use Taiwan as leverage in negotiations over trade, security and other sensitive issues.
More than two months after deviating from decades of American diplomacy regarding Taiwan by accepting a phone call from the self-governing island’s president, Trump appeared to be trying to reassure Beijing he would not seek to upend relations between the world’s two largest economies.
“This is an important step,” said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser on Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This will now pave the way for the engagement of the U.S. and Chinese governments on a wide range of issues.”
The policy in place since 1979 requires Washington to maintain only unofficial ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. China views any hint of official U.S. recognition of the island as anathema to China’s revival as a great Asian power.
The long-awaited call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump came Thursday evening, Washington time.
The two leaders discussed “numerous” topics at length and Trump agreed to honor the “one China” policy, the White House said — though it said Trump did so “at the request of President Xi.”
The White House began paving the way for the call earlier in the week. Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, and his deputy, K.T. McFarland, met with China’s ambassador to the U.S. and delivered a letter from Trump to Xi.
Trump is also said to have discussed the “one China” policy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in recent days, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. Trump and Tillerson had dinner Thursday shortly before the president’s call to Xi. They were joined at the White House dinner by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson.
The person with knowledge of the discussions was not authorized to talk about the matter publicly and insisted on anonymity.
Some had questioned why Trump took so long to call Xi. Chinese observers also noted that Trump broke with his predecessors in not extending good wishes on the Lunar New Year holiday last month. His belated greeting on Wednesday was praised by China.
At a briefing with reporters Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang declined to respond specifically to repeated questions on whether Trump’s affirmation of the “one China” policy was a condition Beijing set for the call. Lu said Beijing’s “one China” principle was the foundation of the two countries’ relationship.
Commenting on Trump’s call with Xi, Taiwan’s presidential spokesman Alex Huang said the island’s administration regards the U.S. as its most important ally and is grateful for Washington’s expression of support for Taiwan in recent days.
Trump’s move comes at a time of uncertainty in U.S.-China relations. Trump has accused Beijing of cheating in trade, criticized China’s military buildup in the South China Sea and said the country is doing too little to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. He has accused China of manipulating its currency to keep its exports inexpensive and threatened a 45 percent tax on Chinese imports, potentially setting off a trade war.
Underscoring the uncertainties, Thursday’s call came as the U.S. Pacific Command reported a Chinese KJ-200 early warning aircraft and a U.S. Navy patrol plane had an “unsafe” encounter over the South China Sea this week.
The Chinese defense ministry has not commented, but Beijing routinely complains about U.S. military surveillance missions near China.
In the end, Trump’s toying with changes to Washington’s China policy cost him both credibility and momentum in resolving outstanding trade issues between the sides, said the former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.
“Threats concerning fundamental, core interests are counterproductive from the get-go,” said James Zimmerman, a lawyer who has been in China since 1998.