President Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call on Thursday evening that the U.S. will respect the “One China” policy, which mandates that Taiwan technically falls under the Chinese government.
The move eases diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China following Trump’s December phone call with Taiwanese Prime Minister Tsai Ing-wen. That conversation had upset China because it indicated Trump may not intend to honor the 1992 policy. The call between U.S. and Taiwanese leaders was the first communication between countries since 1979.
Trump said in December that his willingness to support the policy would depend on concessions Beijing made to the U.S., a subtle nod to his calls to renegotiate trade deals with Asian nations. During the campaign, Trump had called for a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the U.S.
The Trump administration recently broke the ice with China by reaching out to the Chinese ambassador to the U.S.. National security adviser Michael Flynn and deputy adviser K.T. McFarland hand-delivered a letter wishing the “Chinese people a happy Lantern Festival and prosperous Year of the Rooster.”
State Sec. Rex Tillerson had pledged to support the “One China” policy, according to written statements he gave during his Senate confirmation.
Trump’s extending an olive branch to China comes less than a day before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Washington, D.C., on Friday. Trump and Abe will dine together on four occasions during the visit and the two will fly to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fl., on Friday for leisure business discussions over a game of golf.
