Trump Suggests Using Bedrock China Policy as Bargaining Chip

[Blue Shoes]

Source: New York Times

President-elect Donald J. Trump, defending his recent phone call with Taiwan’s president, asserted in an interview broadcast Sunday that the United States was not bound by the One China policy, the 44-year diplomatic understanding that underpins America’s relationship with its biggest rival.

Mr. Trump, speaking on Fox News, said he understood the principle of a single China that includes Taiwan, but declared, “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”

“I mean, look,” he continued, “we’re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation; with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don’t tax them; with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn’t be doing; and frankly, with not helping us at all with North Korea.”

Mr. Trump is not the first incoming Republican president to question the One China policy, but his suggestion that it could be used as a chip to correct Chinese behavior sets him apart, several Asia experts said. While Mr. Trump has been praised by some Republicans for taking a new look at China policy, his stance could risk a backlash by Beijing, the analysts said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/11/us/politics/trump-taiwan-one-china.html?_r=0

[SHRED]

1. Seriously...couldn't China crush our economy?

Isn't he playing with fire here?

[COLGATE4]

2. They could and he is - but 1) he doesn't even begin

to understand it and 2) couldn't give less of a shit anyway. Hail to the Chief.

[metalbot]

9. Why do you think that to be true?

We have a $350B+ per year trade deficit with China. That's going to hurt a lot both ways, and probably hurt China a lot more.

They could dump our debt on the open market, which would hurt our ability to borrow more, but we'd just run additional rounds of QE.

[cstanleytech]

14. Could? Probably but their own is on shaky grounds as well atm which is probably why

they are pushing the whole South China Sea issue as a distraction from the fact that their economy is teetering on the brink of a crash and burn.

[Kingofalldems]

3. He's a traitor who stole the election. Why post what he proposes?

[arithia]

4. kinda important to keep up to date on how he plans to screw us all n/t

[cstanleytech]

15. Tossing the word traitor around does not make it anymore true for Trump than it is for Snowden or

Manning as none of them have committed treason as defined under US law.

[roamer65]

5. If China invades Taiwan, the trump lovers kids can go fight.

If this orange mutant starts a war with China....(censored).

[0rganism]

7. my son turned 18 yesterday

why would i suppose there won't be conscription for the Trump Wars? i'm just hoping he gets put on a wall-building project well away from the free fire zones and drone bombardments.

[wordpix]

8. everyone of military service age needs to do this:

Contact your Congress people and insist that military and/or national service is mandatory for everyone of service age. That goes for Congress' children AND Trump's.

[wordpix]

6. Drumpf's US-Russia alliance must worry China; however, the international corporate takeover

of the planet is even more worrisome. I'm thinking there are no nations anymore except to perpetuate the arms race---the rest of national/international governance is about corporate money-greed that is managing and legislating worldwide

[yurbud]

11. it seems we traded baiting Russia with Hillary with baiting China under Trump

Why didn't we get a "no unnecessary nuclear war" option in the election?

[Sgent]

10. This is one thing I support Trump in

we need some serious revisiting of our trade relationship with China, and although it could hurt both ways, they need us a lot more than we need them.

[wordpix]

12. no problem reviewing any trade relationship but the Trump-China relationship needs scrutiny

He keeps bringing it up. What happened, did Chinese leader Xi Jinping and/or others not give Trumpie what he wanted in his Trump brand trade deal? This needs a little investigating.

[roamer65]

13. China doesn't need us if they go to a war footing.

If he keeps poking, first up will be Taiwan.

[KittyWampus]

17. You support his taking a baseball bat to our diplomatic relations? Because the policy

is irrelevant to the fact Trump has pissed off China.

[KittyWampus]

16. But this isn't how you engage in International Diplomacy. It's not a reality show.

He is delusional.