Trump Will Honor ‘One China’ Policy
Kiss and make up!
President Donald Trump has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he will honor the “One China” policy, which should ease tensions between the two presidents. From The Financial Times:
The White House released a statement after the FT reported the call between the two men, saying that Mr Trump had agreed “at the request of President Xi” to honour the “one China” policy.
“The phone call between President Trump and President Xi was extremely cordial, and both leaders extended best wishes to the people of each other’s countries. They also extended invitations to meet in their respective countries,” the White House said.
The two presidents have not spoken since November 14. Tensions spiked after Trump spoke to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in December, the “first time a president or president-elect has spoken with the leader of Taiwan since Washington established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1979.”
Trump’s team attempted to repair the relationship when the president sent a letter to Xi to wish him a happy new year.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attended meetings at the White House to discuss the One China policy. During his confirmation hearing, Tillerson promised to uphold the One China policy and unlike Trump, does not think we should use Taiwan “as a bargaining chip in a broader negotiation with China on trade and other issues.”
This phone call is also significant because Trump will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday:
“The significance of this phone call prior to the visit of Prime Minister Abe cannot be overstated,” said Dennis Wilder, a former top China analyst at the CIA: “The Chinese had sought reassurance that President Trump did not intend to overturn a fundamental principle underpinning US-China relations and Northeast Asian geostrategic stability for the past four decades – the one China policy.”
Mr Wilder added: “By reasserting the commitment to the one China policy, President Trump opens the ground for a constructive dialogue with Beijing on the difficult but resolvable issues of rebalancing the trading relationship that has tilted in Beijing’s favour.”
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Comments
There is one China – its government is operating from the island of Taiwan.
You mean it’s not the Communist, Dictatorship run one?
Snark.
The One China policy is a farce and always has been. The US has “supported” the One China policy since 1992, while having a treaty with Taiwan which would require the US to assist Taiwan if it were invaded by the PRC. So, exactly WHAT does the US support here?
We have no treaty with Taiwan. President Carter abrogated it in 1980. The Taiwan Relations Act does not require us to assist Taiwan if it’s invaded.
Sorry, but this is not quite correct. The TRA requires that all international treaties between the US and the ROC [Taiwan] remain in effect. Carter unilaterally rescinded the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty. However this was challenged as being unconstitutional in Goldwater v Carter. The SCOTUS heard no arguments in the case, instead simply granting a writ of certiorari, vacating the order of the lower court and sending it back to that court with orders to be dismissed. Whether Carter had the constitutional authority to abrogate the existing treaty, unilaterally and without the advice and consent of Congress was never settled. And, the Congress never voted on the abrogation. So, whether the treaty is still in effect or not is very much in dispute.
Now, here is the relevant passage from the TRA:
“the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capabilities”.
It kinda sounds as though the USA is required to assist Taiwan in its self defense by providing BOTH materiel and military personnel, even without the SAMD treaty being active.. While ambiguous, the PRC evidently chooses to read this as requiring the USA to come to the defense of the ROC, should the ROC be attacked or invaded.
The point being, that even though the US government pays lip service to the One China policy as espoused by the PRC, it has stated that it will assist in the defense of the ROC from invasion. Catch-22?
For all practical purposes, treaties and agreements are only worth the willpower of the people who carry them out.
For example, if Communist China had swept across the Taiwan strait in a zero-notice attack, blockading the island and claiming it while Obama was in office, do you *really* think the US would have sent warships and aircraft to counter the move, particularly if they had threatened to dump bonds and otherwise wage economic war on the US at the first sign of support?
Now consider Trump. Actually, try not to.
Maybe. We’ll have to wait for independent, preferably first-person, confirmation of quotes that may or may not quote.
As for China, without labor and environmental arbitrage, the American debt, welfare, and green economies are likely to collapse.
So it sounds like sticking with the one china policy was a precondition for opening trade talks?
You know: he might actually be talking about tableware, and has another plan in mind.
Like I said before, I voted for him but he wasn’t my first, second, third or fourth choice and I am still neutral on what promises and programs he made during the campaign that he will keep. The man is a showman and a braggart but I hope that behind all of that, there is a way forward to undo what obama did. He is not used to working WITH others nor is he used to getting advice or having to coordinate with other groups BEFORE making decisions. I hope this will change over time and that he gets the big things done for our country. Now is the time to put his head down and get to work. Leave the f***ing phone alone!