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Donald Trump’s Taiwan Call: Diplomatic Gaffe or New Policy? Donald Trump’s Taiwan Call: Diplomatic Blunder, or a Signal?
(about 2 hours later)
To the Editor:To the Editor:
President-elect Donald Trump was criticized for taking a phone call from Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, because United States-China relations are governed by a “one China” policy (“China Sees New Ambiguity in Trump’s Taiwan Call,” news article, Dec. 4).President-elect Donald Trump was criticized for taking a phone call from Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, because United States-China relations are governed by a “one China” policy (“China Sees New Ambiguity in Trump’s Taiwan Call,” news article, Dec. 4).
Perhaps Mr. Trump’s message to China is that the United States no longer has to walk on eggshells in dealing with it, given China’s adventurism in the South China Sea, aggressive trade and currency policies, and failure to control North Korea. In a tweet, the president-elect noted the paradox of not having official contact with Taiwan while selling it arms.Perhaps Mr. Trump’s message to China is that the United States no longer has to walk on eggshells in dealing with it, given China’s adventurism in the South China Sea, aggressive trade and currency policies, and failure to control North Korea. In a tweet, the president-elect noted the paradox of not having official contact with Taiwan while selling it arms.
Mr. Trump’s poke in the eye at China may also foreshadow a policy of the United States working with Russia to solve global disputes, a potential counterweight to Chinese influence. The phone call is reminiscent of President Harry Truman’s recognition of Israel in 1948 without informing the State Department in advance.Mr. Trump’s poke in the eye at China may also foreshadow a policy of the United States working with Russia to solve global disputes, a potential counterweight to Chinese influence. The phone call is reminiscent of President Harry Truman’s recognition of Israel in 1948 without informing the State Department in advance.
Sometimes unpredictability can be very effective in shaking things up.Sometimes unpredictability can be very effective in shaking things up.
MARK MEIROWITZMARK MEIROWITZ
New YorkNew York
To the Editor:To the Editor:
President-elect Donald Trump’s Taiwan kerfuffle proves that the casual approach and loose semantics of a reality television personality do not serve the interests of our country when you consider the diplomatic realities we face. It will be interesting to see how well his bluster and naïveté will serve us when the world starts pushing back.President-elect Donald Trump’s Taiwan kerfuffle proves that the casual approach and loose semantics of a reality television personality do not serve the interests of our country when you consider the diplomatic realities we face. It will be interesting to see how well his bluster and naïveté will serve us when the world starts pushing back.
MICHAEL SCOTTMICHAEL SCOTT
San FranciscoSan Francisco
To the Editor:To the Editor:
Re “Taiwan City Planning a Makeover Says the Trump Organization Showed Interest” (news article, Dec. 5):Re “Taiwan City Planning a Makeover Says the Trump Organization Showed Interest” (news article, Dec. 5):
Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan gives Congress all the evidence it needs that it must pass a law that requires him to fully separate his businesses from his presidency. Otherwise it will be complicit in whatever unintended consequences — trade wars, nuclear confrontations — come from having the leader of the free world blithely ignore everything but his own interests.Donald Trump’s telephone conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan gives Congress all the evidence it needs that it must pass a law that requires him to fully separate his businesses from his presidency. Otherwise it will be complicit in whatever unintended consequences — trade wars, nuclear confrontations — come from having the leader of the free world blithely ignore everything but his own interests.
JOAN D. HEDRICKJOAN D. HEDRICK
Middletown, Conn.Middletown, Conn.
The writer is a professor of history at Trinity College.The writer is a professor of history at Trinity College.