Trump Speaks With Taiwan’s Leader, a Likely Affront to China

[K1052]

He is believed to be the first president or president-elect who has spoken to a Taiwanese leader since 1979, when the United States severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan after its recognition of the People’s Republic of China.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/u...-a-possible-affront-to-china.html?smid=tw-bna

Probably not a good idea to super piss off China before you even take office.

 

[mrjminer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/u...-a-possible-affront-to-china.html?smid=tw-bna

Probably not a good idea to super piss off China before you even take office.

Probably not a good idea to permit the Chinese to claim the South China Sea and build artificial land to construct military installations. To continue allowing them to go unchecked is also probably not a good idea. This was a good move by Trump.

 

[IronWing]

Let me dig around in my armpit to see if I can locate where I left my concern over pissing off China.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'll admit I had no idea that we had a policy of never talking to Taiwanese leaders, but...

But the potential fallout from the conversation was significant, the administration official said, noting that the Chinese government issued a bitter protest after the United States sold weapons to Taiwan as part of a well-established arms agreement.

Mr. Trump’s call with President Tsai is a far bigger provocation, though the Chinese government did not issue an immediate response. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has adamantly opposed the attempts of any country to open official relations with it.

How exactly does this work? We talk to Taiwanese military officials who talk to government officials to approve purchase of US weapons, and it's alright on a technicality?

If this was a conscious effort at offending China/supporting Taiwan, then it seems to hurt the narrative that Trump is alright with letting China roll over everyone. If it was an unconscious effort and he did it without knowing the potential fallout, then Oh Magoo, you've done it again!

 

[Balt]

If it's an intentional policy shift, he should have waited until he was president.

If it was unintentional, well, maybe he should better inform himself.

 

[kage69]

Beijing can piss up a tree, but this probably shouldn't have happened until he was in office.

 

[KMFJD]

Didn't know the leaders never talked in public, but i highly doubt they stopped behind closed doors, especially when you consider all the hardware they sell them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_arms_sales_to_Taiwan

 

[Double Trouble]

Beijing can piss up a tree, but this probably shouldn't have happened until he was in office.

This.

Trump probably had no idea he was pissing off Bejing, but screw Bejing anyway. Makes more sense to wait until you are actually the president though.

 

[Jhhnn]

The Chinese aren't taking the bait. They're spinning away from confrontation-

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/11/18/trump_taiwan_expand.php

They're playing it as Trump just chasing the God Almighty Dollar, not a diplomatic brouhaha.

 

[kage69]

Given what's happening with Duterte, that's pretty funny.

I loved their tantrum when Obama did his Africa visit. Ohhh the butthurt... lol

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The Chinese aren't taking the bait. They're spinning away from confrontation-

http://shanghaiist.com/2016/11/18/trump_taiwan_expand.php

They're playing it as Trump just chasing the God Almighty Dollar, not a diplomatic brouhaha.

I've always bet on the likelihood that the Chinese are rational and restrained. They have lived through some grim history, and they know it.

Even at the height of their post-war revolution, they didn't enter the war in Korea until MacArthur's troops came close to the Yalu River, and it had been a reluctant promise to Grandfather Kim, whom Mao mildly despised.

Trump either succeeded or failed in business with a gambler's inclination to take insane risks. Even as Buffet had discussed Trump's near-billion in losses that netted him carryover loss claims on his taxes, NYT is now investigating the possibility that Trump actually cheated on his taxes, which is another type of risk-taking.

The South China Sea is another issue of regional hegemony. Even Vietnam is on the opposite side of the equation from China on that one. Talk about it later.

But this news about Trump's pre-inauguration contacts is still unsettling.

All he needs to do is make one, big misjudgment and mistake. If you simply want to depend on our military spending as a solution, you could be barking up a very unnecessary and costly tree. Who really knows what could unravel from this?

 

[agent00f]

Probably not a good idea to permit the Chinese to claim the South China Sea and build artificial land to construct military installations. To continue allowing them to go unchecked is also probably not a good idea. This was a good move by Trump.

Let me dig around in my armpit to see if I can locate where I left my concern over pissing off China.

Internet tough guys hardliners.

 

[Jhhnn]

All he needs to do is make one, big misjudgment and mistake. If you simply want to depend on our military spending as a solution, you could be barking up a very unnecessary and costly tree. Who really knows what could unravel from this?

Well, barring enough faithless electors in the EC, We'll be dependent on Trump's judgement & the judgements of his cabinet. It is what it is.

 

[Atreus21]

Let me dig around in my armpit to see if I can locate where I left my concern over pissing off China.

This. China can eat a dick.

 

[Svnla]

If commie china does not like it, it can kiss our butts. We can talk whoever we want to.

 

[K1052]

If it's an intentional policy shift, he should have waited until he was president.

If it was unintentional, well, maybe he should better inform himself.

Yea, the problem is that it sounds like the latter. I don't think he has any idea of the history or policy behind the current situation. Maybe most times that won't blow up in your face but it could eventually, maybe even literally, go that way.

I know many people want to show our collective dicks to gyna but all actions have reactions. There should at least be a clear reason and strategy behind it.

 

[MrSquished]

At first I was like who cares, let's piss off China a bit for now. See what happens - as long as it's handled well down the stretch.

Then you read about Trump's potential real estate interests in Taiwan. We all know he is a narcissist that cares primarily about his wealth. It's just so evident.

So then one is left to wonder why take this strategy? Hotels? Or for America.

The dude just has so many conflicts of interest it's ridiculous. And his minions like buckshit just really don't give two shits about them either. Sad.

 

[baydude]

Trump has already brought this up on his Twitter but why is there a US policy to not speak to Taiwan's leader when we sell them billions in military equipment?

 

[K1052]

Trump has already brought this up on his Twitter but why is there a US policy to not speak to Taiwan's leader when we sell them billions in military equipment?

Because that's the deal we made with China.

 

[JSt0rm]

lots of tough guys in here. Lets see what happens when you run into the special forces...

 

[Balt]

I know many people want to show our collective dicks to gyna but all actions have reactions. There should at least be a clear reason and strategy behind it.

Yep. People should consider just how far they want to things to escalate before applauding things like this. China is not likely to accept a truly independent and separate Taiwan, and upsetting the status quo can have consequences.

 

[JSt0rm]

Yep. People should consider just how far they want to things to escalate before applauding things like this. China is not likely to accept a truly independent and separate Taiwan, and upsetting the status quo can have consequences.

Doesn't matter, they will be taken up in the rapture while the nukes go off with all the liberals of the world dying in a radioactive fireball.

 

[MrSquished]

Doesn't matter, they will be taken up in the rapture while the nukes go off with all the liberals of the world dying in a radioactive fireball.

why won't the righties be dying in the same fireball? cause they are really robotic androids simply programmed to be stupid?

 

[Triloby]

Yep. People should consider just how far they want to things to escalate before applauding things like this. China is not likely to accept a truly independent and separate Taiwan, and upsetting the status quo can have consequences.

It's probably a long shot (don't take my word on this), but I imagine that Trump wants to instigate China into respecting him as a world leader so that something like this doesn't happen to him when he's in office:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...-snubbed-by-chinese-in-chaotic-arrival-at-g20

 

[Jhhnn]

why won't the righties be dying in the same fireball? cause they are really robotic androids simply programmed to be stupid?

You don't understand the whole Rapture concept very well. They're going to Heaven. The rest of us, not so much.