China blasts ‘petty’ Taiwan call with Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/china-blasts-pettytaiwan-call-with-trump/2016/12/03/a6e0881c-b8e7-11e6-939c-91749443c5e5_story.html?utm_term=.20e9340e01bf&wpisrc=nl_az_most
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 on Friday broke with four decades of diplomatic practice by talking on the phone to Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, 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 then-President Richard M. Nixon visited China. But although the American government ended official relations with Taiwan in 1979, U.S. presidential administrations have maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan, which has become a thriving democracy in recent decades.
Beijing remains hyper-sensitive 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 lodged an official complaint with the United States. Asked about the incident, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, called the call a “petty” move by 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,” Wang said.
But experts predicted surprise and anger as Beijing takes stock over the weekend. “This is a heavy blow,” said Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Relations at Nanjing University.
There are still many qustions surrounding the conversation between Trump and Tsai. The president-elect tweeted Friday that Tsai called him, rather than the other way around.
Yet Tsai’s office later said the call was arranged in advance by both sides.
Analysts are divided on whether it was a mixup between the two governments or a more significant signal about the type of foreign policy we can expect 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 — and how.
Paul Haenle, who was on the National Security Council staffs of former president George W. Bush and President Obama and is now director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, said the incident showed the importance of Trump taking daily intelligence briefings, consulting with experts at the State Department and Department of Defense and quickly assembling a China team.
When it comes to China, past administrations took a “no surprises” approach, Haenle said. “The alternative — catching China by surprise on some of the most sensitive and longstanding areas of disagreement in our relationship — presents enormous risks and potential detriment for this consequential relationship.”
That means damage control before Inaugration Day, experts said.
The fact that Trump is the president-elect and not yet the president leaves Beijing some room to maenuver, 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 having 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.”
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 on Friday broke with four decades of diplomatic practice by talking on the phone to Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen, 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 then-President Richard M. Nixon visited China. But although the American government ended official relations with Taiwan in 1979, U.S. presidential administrations have maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan, which has become a thriving democracy in recent decades.
Beijing remains hyper-sensitive 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 lodged an official complaint with the United States. Asked about the incident, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, called the call a “petty” move by 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,” Wang said.
But experts predicted surprise and anger as Beijing takes stock over the weekend. “This is a heavy blow,” said Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Relations at Nanjing University.
There are still many qustions surrounding the conversation between Trump and Tsai. The president-elect tweeted Friday that Tsai called him, rather than the other way around.
Yet Tsai’s office later said the call was arranged in advance by both sides.
Analysts are divided on whether it was a mixup between the two governments or a more significant signal about the type of foreign policy we can expect 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 — and how.
Paul Haenle, who was on the National Security Council staffs of former president George W. Bush and President Obama and is now director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing, said the incident showed the importance of Trump taking daily intelligence briefings, consulting with experts at the State Department and Department of Defense and quickly assembling a China team.
When it comes to China, past administrations took a “no surprises” approach, Haenle said. “The alternative — catching China by surprise on some of the most sensitive and longstanding areas of disagreement in our relationship — presents enormous risks and potential detriment for this consequential relationship.”
That means damage control before Inaugration Day, experts said.
The fact that Trump is the president-elect and not yet the president leaves Beijing some room to maenuver, 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 having 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.”
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"Yet Tsai’s office later said the call was arranged in advance by both sides."
Those tweets show an unbelievable ignorance of foreign affairs protocols and American/Chinese relations. I hope Beijing will settle down and treat this as an obvious sign of lack of experience and give Trump a chance to make amends. In the meantime I hope the people here don't think I'm an American - I'll always wear my "Canada" cap and sweater that says "CANADA" in big bold capital letters across the front when I'm out of the house.