Trump Denounces China’s Economic, Military Policies After Taiwan Call

Reaction from both government and official media was unusually subdued after the businessman-turned-president-elect lashed out on social media, accusing China of military expansionism and manipulating its currency.

So Trump fired back again on Sunday, arguing China had not asked for USA consent when-he alleged-it devalued the yuan, levied taxes on United States exports, and built military facilities in the South China Sea. “The debate is moving on from the formal label of currency manipulation to which unilateral trade sanctions will be imposed next year, and the reference to the South China Sea adds to the geopolitical risk premium”.

Reports by The Guardian and local paper Taiwan News say that a Trump representative had visited a Taiwanese city in mid-November to scout business opportunities in the area. It’s also unclear how the people who live in Taiwan benefit from this issue flaring up.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to poke the Chinese in the eye; it doesn’t mean we’re going to change the ‘One China policy, ‘” said Lohman, whose think tank has been advising Trump’s transition.

“I don’t have a problem with a tough line against China, if it’s well-thought through”.

Late Sunday, Trump took to Twitter to goad China.

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the call could jeopardise United States relations with China. Pence told Stephanopoulos that Taiwan’s leader called Trump. It has also issued “stern representations” to “relevant parties” in the United States and the US embassy in Beijing.

The Chinese government has yet to issue a public rebuke of the phone call, but the Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters today that Beijing has been in contact with Trump’s team since the call and suggested that it made its concerns known directly.

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing lodged “solemn representations” with the USA over the call.

Analysts have raised concern that any change to the “One China” policy would upend USA relations with China and seriously undermine cooperation between the two sides on a number of issues, including the North Korean nuclear standoff. Trump is believed to be the first president or president-elect to speak to a Taiwanese leader since 1979 when the United States broke off diplomatic ties with the island territory and instead recognized the People’s Republic of China. “There are a lot more things that the US could do with Taiwan within that rubric, without having to go and make a choice”.

The U.S. and China are the world’s two largest economies with bilateral trade in goods and services reaching almost $660 billion previous year. They could quietly but dramatically increase cyberattacks against USA government and official targets. Both Beijing and Taipei in principle consider themselves the only legitimate power in charge of both China and Taiwan. Trump has threatened to brand China a currency manipulator and slap 45-percent tariffs on the Asian nation’s exports.

“In the case of Abe, he doesn’t have any internal opposition, either within his party or outside”. “It is certain that Trump doesn’t want a showdown with China, because it is not his ambition, and neither was it included in his promise to the electorate”.

Over the decades, the status of Taiwan has been one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.

Assumptions aside, no one knows for sure how Trump’s approach will be different and what he may eventually do when in office.