Trump speaks with Taiwan’s president, possibly jeopardizing US-China relations

Trump later tweeted out that it was Tsai who called him, and thanked her for wishing him congratulations on his Election Day win.

“The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!”, he tweeted.

However, a Taiwanese newspaper seemed to refute Trump’s claim that he received the call. Trump’s “Taiwan-friendly campaign staff” arranged the call, according to sources cited by the Taipei Times.

The call is widely believed to be the first between a U.S. president or president-elect and a leader of Taiwan since 1979, when diplomatic relations between the two were cut off. China regards Taiwan, a nearly 14,000 square-mile island off its coast, as a renegade province which should be returned to China ever since Gen. Chiang Kai-shek fled mainland China to Taiwan in 1949.

The U.S. adopted a “One China” policy to help facilitate diplomacy with Beijing in 1972, and President Jimmy Carter formally recognized Beijing as the sole government of China in 1978. The U.S. embassy in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, was closed in 1979.

China’s foreign minister later responded to news of the call, saying he hopes U.S. won’t be “interfered with or damaged.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday the call between Taiwan’s president and Trump was “just a small trick by Taiwan,” according to Hong Kong’s Phoenix TV.

Though the leaders of the U.S. and Taiwan in the last few decades have not been in contact, the U.S. has sold the island nation with weapons that the Chinese have perceived as an illegal act according to international law. In 2015, the U.S. sold $1.83 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, which included anti-aircraft and anti-ship systems.

Trump called attention to this fact in a follow-up tweet, saying it is “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.”

“The Chinese leadership will see this as a highly provocative action, of historic proportions,” said Evan Medeiros, former Asia director at the White House National Security Council, according to the Financial Times.

“Regardless if it was deliberate or accidental, this phone call will fundamentally change China’s perceptions of Trump’s strategic intentions for the negative,” Medeiros said. “With this kind of move, Trump is setting a foundation of enduring mistrust and strategic competition for US-China relations.”

Trump’s call garnered swift reaction from Congress.

“Foreign policy consistency is a means, not an end. It’s not sacred. Thus, it’s Trump’s right to shift policy, alliances, strategy,” tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. He warned that what has happened “is not a shift” and that these are “major pivots in foreign policy” without a plan.

“That’s how wars start,” added Murphy. “And if they aren’t pivots – just radical temporary deviations – allies will walk if they have no clue what we stand for. Just as bad.”

Republicans responded more favorably to Trump’s outreach.

“America’s policy toward Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which we maintain close ties with Taiwan and support its democratic system,” said Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton in a statement. “I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen, which reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil. I have met with President Tsai twice and I’m confident she expressed to the president-elect the same desire for closer relations with the United States.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Peter King of New York offered “[p]laudits” to the president-elect for his “historic phone call” with Tsai. “Strong message to China. New day in Asia,” he added.

Former spokesman for President George W. Bush Ari Fleischer expressed bluntly how he thinks China will react to the call on social media.

“Uh-oh. I wasn’t even allowed to refer to the gvt “of” Taiwan. (I could say gvt “on” Taiwan.) China will go nuts,” Fleischer tweeted. In a series of followup tweets, Fleischer said he feels fine about Trump’s chat with Tsai, so long as Trump knows “it would change the status quo.”

“China has been increasingly aggressive with us because they know we won’t do anything meaningful about it,” Fleischer added. “I don’t mind Trump pushing back.”

Trump, who repeatedly condemned China throughout his campaign for devaluing its currency to gain a trade advantage, spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.

The two men “established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another,” according to a read-out of the call from Trump’s transition team. “President-elect Trump stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries.”

Trump told Xi that China’s “development is remarkable,” and that the U.S. and China can “achieve mutual benefits and win-win results” if the two countries enhance their cooperation with each other, Chinese state media reported.

Trump has yet to select a nominee to be his secretary of state, who will undoubtedly play a large role in shaping the U.S.’s relations with China and Taiwan in the near future.