Trump complains in tweets about Chinese policy after Taiwan call raises hackles

Donald Trump tweeted, “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency”.

US President-elect Donald Trump complained about Chinese economic and military policy on Twitter on Sunday, showing no signs of a conciliatory approach after a phone conversation with Taiwan’s president raised hackles in Beijing. “He got a call, and he took it”, Corker told reporters. “We all see the value of stability in the region”.

Another lawmaker and a member of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Lo Chih-cheng, said, that Trump has shown “a very friendly attitude towards Taiwan, but how we can translate into policies is still unknown”.

Yes, the US needs China as part of its effort to prevent North Korea’s youthful dictator from firing off one missile too many and in the wrong direction.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province that must be unified with the mainland and rails against any support for Taiwan’s independence or the notion that the island is not part of the country.

Nearly immediately following Trump’s phone call Friday with the Taiwan leader, a media firestorm began. It also accused Taiwan of playing a “small trick” on Trump. “Although I can not foretell exactly how far he will go on the issue of Taiwan, the policy his administration will hold in this regard will definitely be more negative than that of President Obama’s administration and all the others since President (Jimmy) Carter”.

China’s defense ministry declined to comment Tuesday, referring NBC News to a news conference last week in which it confirmed the mission but gave no details.

CNN reports that during a local radio interview, Stephen Moore defended Donald Trump for receiving the call from Taiwan. “It’s still an ongoing event and we are watching”.

Whether because Trump was in fact signaling a pre-inauguration change in USA policy or because he couldn’t stand the idea that the world knew he made a rookie mistake, other members of the transition team soon were suggesting the phone call was a part of a careful Trump strategy.

He continued to praise Trump for doing what he did, which he compares to other people being anxious about China being insulted.

Trump’s call has the potential to thrust US-China relations into tumult, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

President Obama’s own former national security adviser, retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Jones, said the phone call is no big deal.

The call with Taipei was the first by a USA president-elect or president with a Taiwanese leader since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “one China”. Trump said in two posts.

“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.

Since Friday’s call, Trump has written numerous times about China on his Twitter page, saying, “Interesting how the us sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call”.