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

[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.

[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:

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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.

[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.