The US-Japan joint statement released on Friday not mentioning the “one China” policy might be a sign that US President Donald Trump intends to decouple US-China relations from Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said.
Following Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, the US and Japan issued a joint statement where they reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
Trump has not personally brought up the “one China” policy in more than a year, National Taiwan University Department of Political Science Associate Professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民) said in Taipei on Saturday.
Photo: AP
The “one China” policy refers to the US’ policy on Taiwan as stated in the Shanghai Communique, in which the US “acknowledges” the People’s Republic of China’s position that there is “one China, and Taiwan is a part of China.”
That differentiates Trump from former US president Joe Biden and former US vice president Kamala Harris, especially considering Harris reiterated the “one China” policy whenever she discussed matters relating to Taiwan, Chen said.
A number of Republican members of the US Congress have recently called for the president to abandon the policy and establish formal diplomatic relations, he said.
Taiwan has rarely been mentioned during Trump’s interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), he added.
For example, during Trump’s call with Xi one day before his inauguration, Chinese state media reported that Xi brought up Taiwan, Chen said.
However, Trump made no mention of Taiwan on social media about the call and denied related questions in a TV interview, he said.
After winning his first US presidential election in 2016, Trump received a phone call from then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and publicly questioned why the US should be bound by the “one China” policy, Chen said, adding that it showed Trump had considered changing the framework for US-Taiwan relations.
Trump might intend to use the “one China” policy as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China, rather than following policy frameworks he has inherited, Chen said.
Although the US-Japan joint statement did not mention the policy, Trump’s silence on the matter in other situations is more significant, he said.
Decoupling US-China relations from Taiwan would prevent Beijing from using the “one China” policy to influence US policy toward Taiwan, Chen said.
Given that US legislators have also suggested Trump abandon the policy, Taiwan should continue to monitor the Trump administration’s actions in this regard, he said.
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