US President Donald Trump on Thursday reaffirmed Washington’s “one China” policy in his first conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), an apparent effort to ease tensions after angering Beijing by questioning a major plank of Sino-US relations.
During a telephone call with China’s leader, the US president agreed to “honor” a position that effectively acknowledges that Taiwan is not separate from China.
“President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honor our ‘one China’ policy,” the White House said in a statement, adding that the two leaders had “extended invitations to meet in their respective countries.”
Photo: EPA
The White House called the telephone discussion — which came on the eve of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — “extremely cordial,” saying the leaders “look forward to further talks with very successful outcomes.”
Xi, has led the Chinese Communist Party-ruled country since 2012, welcomed Trump’s gesture.
“Xi Jinping appreciates Trump’s emphasis on the American government’s commitment to the ‘one China’ policy and pointed out that the ‘one China’ principle is the political foundation of US-China relations,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Trump’s insurgent campaign for the White House included frequently lashing out at China, which he accused of currency manipulation and stealing US jobs.
He raised eyebrows in the wake of his election victory with a protocol-busting telephone conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
He later threw doubt on the “one China” policy, suggesting that it was up for negotiation and could form part of talks on trade, drawing rebukes from official Chinese media.
Ashley Townshend, an expert on US-China relations at the University of Sydney, said Trump’s apparent capitulation was an indication of the moderating influence of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
“Everyone will be surprised at the speed with which Trump has backed down on this issue,” Townshend added.
The change was unlikely to be conciliatory, but could be read as a sign of pragmatism in the new administration’s approach to its powerful adversary, he said.
“There was a real risk prior to this clarification that the two sides would be unable to even find a way to speak,” Townshend said. “This removes an obstacle to relations, but it doesn’t advance them in any meaningful way.”
Trump’s suggestion that he could restore relations with Taipei — which Beijing views as a nonstarter — had threatened to chill ties with the Asian giant.
Beijing had been prepared to give Trump-the-candidate a pass, China-based Fudan University Center for American Studies director Wu Xinbo (吳新保) said.
“When Trump tweeted a few things about the ‘one China’ policy previously, it was prior to his inauguration, so we can consider those his personal opinion,” Wu said.
“Now that he is in office, he represents the government’s views and, as such, he must emphasize the continuity of policies, such as the Taiwan issue and the ‘one China’ issue,” he added.
Xu Guoqi (徐國琦), an expert in Sino-US relations at the University of Hong Kong, said Thursday’s call showed that the US president had “come to his senses” about a policy that has underpinned ties since former US president Richard Nixon’s time in the Oval Office.
“Without honoring the ‘one China’ policy, the relationship only has one way to go: down to hell,” Xu said, adding that “now the two sides can assume business as usual. They are back to square one.”
A senior European diplomat told reporters he hoped that the call indicated an end to Trump’s “incoherent signals” on China.
“Maybe the phone call marks the beginning of a more rational and consistent policy,” he said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from