US President Donald Trump has said that he would want to consult with Chinese President Xi Jinping before speaking to Taiwan’s leader.
In an interview with Reuters news agency, Trump said he wouldn’t want to «cause difficulty» for the Chinese leader by again breaking with the «one China» policy.
«He’s a friend of mine. He’s actually a — I think he’s doing an amazing job as a leader, and I wouldn’t want to do anything that comes in the way of that. So, I would certainly want to speak to him first, » Trump said.
China does not recognize Taiwan’s independence, and under the «one China» policy the US has a long tradition of respecting that stance.
Trump caused ructions late last year when as President-elect he accepted a congratulatory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. As China launched an official complaint, Trump tweeted: «Interesting how the U. S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.»
Tsai recently told Reuters that another call between herself and Trump was a possibility. «We have the opportunity to communicate more directly with the US government, » Tsai said in the interview, although she conceded that China’s influence would be a consideration of Trump’s.
On Friday, Taiwanese presidential spokesman Alex Huang said that she was responding to «hypothetical questions» in the interview and said Taiwan understands the United States’ priorities in affairs in Asia, adding there are no plans for a phone call between Tsai and Trump.
Since coming to office, Trump’s rhetoric on China has improved dramatically as he seeks the country’s help in putting pressure on North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear tests.
«Well, my problem is that I’ve established a very good personal relationship with President Xi. And I really feel that he is doing everything in his power to help us with a big situation, so I wouldn’t want to be causing difficulty right now for him, » he said, referring to the increasingly tense standoff with Pyongyang.
