Trump speaks with the President of Taiwan, risking rift with China

[Dereich]

It'll be interesting to see how China responds to this. I wouldn't be surprised if they used this slight as an excuse to further tighten the economic screws on Taiwan.

[ApatheticAustrian]

white house says nothing changes in regard to "one-china-policy".

trump is looking to build new luxury hotels in taipeh.

trump says he got called - taiwanese news say trump called....

what a buch of malarkey.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I fail to see how this is in any way a blunder.

So you believe Trump knew exactly what he was doing and what response(s) it could potentially evoke?

I find it hard to believe anyone would have a complete understanding, but he was briefed. It's fine.

[The_Doctor]

[Trump makes a call to Taiwan and breaks diplomatic protocol that has been in place for fifty years, likely without knowing the ramifications]

[Republicans immediately fall into lockstep and hail it a major diplomatic breakthrough]

I suppose if World War III broke out, I can just hear the GOP going "How brave of Donald! We needed to attack Britain anyway for their quisling tweets!"

[RogueBeaver]

Follow up. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/804863098138005504

[Fusionmunster]

Follow up. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/804863098138005504

Oh my god, please take his twitter away.

[ApatheticAustrian]

this could cost the US billions if this goes on for 4 years or more.

[Deblano]

Follow up. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/804863098138005504

Haha, thats good.

[JA]

Was this a blunder? Yes. Could it have serious ramifications for our relationship with China and stability in East Asia? Quite possibly. Yet, the current Chinese regime is a menace. It's an oppressive, exploitative dictatorship that silences dissent, kills and jails opponents, consistently violates basic human rights, abuses Tibet and its Muslim minority in the west, and is building up its military and economic power. This is not a country we should be rewarding with lucrative trade deals and any form of friendliness. I'm the last person who'd want a war, but I also don't want our country contributing to the continued existence of this awful regime. Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

[Potus]

Beijing is an evil government. It should come as a surprise to no one that the flag-burning, real freedom-hating pro-Castro Horrible People don't understand that fact. Taipei is free. Beijing is not. Taiwan is Western. The People's Republic is not.

We opened Beijing to counteract the grand designs of a communist hegemony under the Russians. Today, a different breed of neotechnocratic communism seeks an empire of their own and that is something which should be handled appropriately. Opening Taipei isn't the worst idea out there.

[2952-0-0]

It's just Trump being Trump. If he was really courageous in fundamentally changing the policy on Taiwan, he'd do so as president, and do so without any prior warning. Now he's burned bridges with both sides and no one will trust his words.

Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

By whom? The same Donald Trump who said this:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Taiwan is Western. The People's Republic is not.

Nope, Taiwan is definitely *not* a western society. In fact, one of the things the Taiwanese love to brag about is that it's more authentically Chinese as it didn't suffer through the Cultural Revolution...

[Dereich]

Was this a blunder? Yes. Could it have serious ramifications for our relationship with China and stability in East Asia? Quite possibly. Yet, the current Chinese regime is a menace. It's an oppressive, exploitative dictatorship that silences dissent, kills and jails opponents, consistently violates basic human rights, abuses Tibet and its Muslim minority in the west, and is building up its military and economic power. This is not a country we should be rewarding with lucrative trade deals and any form of friendliness. I'm the last person who'd want a war, but I also don't want our country contributing to the continued existence of this awful regime. Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

Do you think we're making trade deals with China out of the kindness of our hearts? The United States, like every country in the world since forever, only freely signs deals where we believe we will benefit. And with the huge increase of imports AND exports over the last few decades its clear we HAVE benefited. It is irresponsible and self destructive to threaten that trade for no reason and without even the possibility of gain for the Taiwanese, Chinese, or American people.

[JA]

Was this a blunder? Yes. Could it have serious ramifications for our relationship with China and stability in East Asia? Quite possibly. Yet, the current Chinese regime is a menace. It's an oppressive, exploitative dictatorship that silences dissent, kills and jails opponents, consistently violates basic human rights, abuses Tibet and its Muslim minority in the west, and is building up its military and economic power. This is not a country we should be rewarding with lucrative trade deals and any form of friendliness. I'm the last person who'd want a war, but I also don't want our country contributing to the continued existence of this awful regime. Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

Do you think we're making trade deals with China out of the kindness of our hearts? The United States, like every country in the world since forever, only freely signs deals where we believe we will benefit. And with the huge increase of imports AND exports over the last few decades its clear we HAVE benefited. It is irresponsible and self destructive to threaten that trade for no reason and without even the possibility of gain for the Taiwanese, Chinese, or American people.

When did I ever say that? I'm fully aware everything we have done in relation to China was in the pursuit of our own self-interest. What I'm saying is that it's a stain on our country to cooperate so closely with a regime as brutal, oppressive, and authoritarian as China. This doesn't mean we should isolate them like North Korea, but it does mean we should fight them harder on their human rights abuses and deny them any benefits that'd help prop-up their regime, including giving preference to their government over that of Taiwan.

If that comes with an economic cost to our country, then so be it. Unlike so many here, I don't believe in enabling dictatorships for financial gain.

[JA]

It's just Trump being Trump. If he was really courageous in fundamentally changing the policy on Taiwan, he'd do so as president, and do so without any prior warning. Now he's burned bridges with both sides and no one will trust his words.

Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

By whom? The same Donald Trump who said this:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Taiwan is Western. The People's Republic is not.

Nope, Taiwan is definitely *not* a western society. In fact, one of the things the Taiwanese love to brag about is that it's more authentically Chinese as it didn't suffer through the Cultural Revolution...

Where did I praise Trump's actions? The man's a lunatic, a bumbling fool, an aspiring autocrat, and completely oblivious to the consequences of his own actions. I simply dislike the dictatorship ruling the Chinese and would like to see it weakened and brought to its end.

[Gass3268]

Beijing is an evil government. It should come as a surprise to no one that the flag-burning, real freedom-hating pro-Castro Horrible People don't understand that fact. Taipei is free. Beijing is not. Taiwan is Western. The People's Republic is not.

We opened Beijing to counteract the grand designs of a communist hegemony under the Russians. Today, a different breed of neotechnocratic communism seeks an empire of their own and that is something which should be handled appropriately. Opening Taipei isn't the worst idea out there.

This is so simplistic, it's mind blowing.

[ApatheticAustrian]

taiwan is not western.....it's capitalist (like china) and allied to the west.....otherwise their values aren't our's...plain and simple.

should the US defend taiwan? absolutely.

should trump waltz in like an elephant and destroy..ah ah ah...china (porcelain)....? obviously not.

this is just the kind of non-thinking stupid foreign policy which is going to weaken the US.

[2952-0-0]

I simply dislike the dictatorship ruling the Chinese and would like to see it weakened and brought to its end.

By whom? A president who openly praised the way they dealt with Tiananmen Square with strength?

[Doimper]

I fail to see how this is in any way a blunder.

So you believe Trump knew exactly what he was doing and what response(s) it could potentially evoke?

I find it hard to believe anyone would have a complete understanding, but he was briefed. It's fine.

If you're President, you should have a very, very good grasp of the potential ramifications of your actions. Trump does not.

[JA]

I simply dislike the dictatorship ruling the Chinese and would like to see it weakened and brought to its end.

By whom? A president who openly praised the way they dealt with Tiananmen Square with strength?

I simply said it should be done, not that Trump's the right person to do it. But if he somehow does accomplish it, then good. However, I know it wouldn't be because he recognized the injustice of their government's violations of human rights. He's already bringing Duterte to the White House; no one can honestly believe he gives a damn about human rights violations in other countries.

[Jeffster]

Was this a blunder? Yes. Could it have serious ramifications for our relationship with China and stability in East Asia? Quite possibly. Yet, the current Chinese regime is a menace. It's an oppressive, exploitative dictatorship that silences dissent, kills and jails opponents, consistently violates basic human rights, abuses Tibet and its Muslim minority in the west, and is building up its military and economic power. This is not a country we should be rewarding with lucrative trade deals and any form of friendliness. I'm the last person who'd want a war, but I also don't want our country contributing to the continued existence of this awful regime. Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

Do you think we're making trade deals with China out of the kindness of our hearts? The United States, like every country in the world since forever, only freely signs deals where we believe we will benefit. And with the huge increase of imports AND exports over the last few decades its clear we HAVE benefited. It is irresponsible and self destructive to threaten that trade for no reason and without even the possibility of gain for the Taiwanese, Chinese, or American people.

Oh please. You know damn well those trade deals were not designed with the interests of ordinary Americans in mind. They were written by the wealthy and for the wealthy in our country so they could use cheap Chinese labor and take advantage of their lax regulations as a way to undermine domestic labor costs and regulations and break domestic labor unions in the process. It's no coincidence that wages have stagnated over the same time period manufacturing moved over to China.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Yeah. Unwittingly, he's just made one of the greatest US foreign policy achievements of the past 50 years.

You don't have any qualms with the president of the united states unwittingly implementing foreign policy? That doesn't bother at you at all? How long do you think that kind of bumbling leadership is going to pay dividends for America?

Trump's open hostility towards China was one of my primary reasons for supporting him, so I was kind of hoping this would happen. I know I will not be happy with everything he does as President, but I pray for him and hope that he surrounds himself with good people who can help him deliver "victories" for America to restore our self-esteem just like Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s.

You want dead marines, secret deals with the Iranians, random airstrikes in Africa, ignorance of a public health crisis, the popularization of an ineffective and damaging War Against Noun, and the invasion of a tiny nation in Latin America, all under the aegis of an aging and demented actor?

You may be in luck! Those all seem to be within Trump's level of competence

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

China and the white House and Chris coons need to take a chill pill. Trump talking with the president of Taiwan does not constitute declaring it an independent nation.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Was this a blunder? Yes. Could it have serious ramifications for our relationship with China and stability in East Asia? Quite possibly. Yet, the current Chinese regime is a menace. It's an oppressive, exploitative dictatorship that silences dissent, kills and jails opponents, consistently violates basic human rights, abuses Tibet and its Muslim minority in the west, and is building up its military and economic power. This is not a country we should be rewarding with lucrative trade deals and any form of friendliness. I'm the last person who'd want a war, but I also don't want our country contributing to the continued existence of this awful regime. Taiwan should be given more recognition and preference until China can clean up its act.

Relax and stop worrying. After four years of President Pussygrabber and his merry band, we won't be China's moral superior anymore and can trade with them in good conscience.

[2952-0-0]

China's foreign minister Wang Yi has made his first official comment:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Since I'm the mad scientist proclaimed by myself]

Lincoln questions the practice of slavery.

How about now questioning a vital trading partner and powerful group within our nation that will set off a war? Battling with a trading partner presents an incredible risk for our economy and national survival.

Let's not raise the price of textiles by making cotton expensive to produce. Economics, duh.

No president has questioned the practice of slavery for over 20 years! Now a 2-year inexperienced congressman from Hicksville struts on in without a clue!

*facepalm*