Trump may have just provoked a diplomatic incident with China [View all]

[babylonsister]

Who didn't see this coming?

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/12/2/1606612/-Trump-may-have-just-provoked-a-diplomatic-incident-with-China?detail=facebook


Trump may have just provoked a diplomatic incident with China
By Laura Clawson
Friday Dec 02, 2016 · 5:05 PM EST


Donald Trump’s phone call with Tsai Ying-wen, the president of Taiwan, was not like other phone calls with foreign leaders, even by the appalling standard Trump has been setting so far:

The telephone call, confirmed by three people, is believed to be the first between a US president or president-elect and a leader of Taiwan since diplomatic relations between the two were cut in 1979.

Although it is not clear if the Trump transition team intended the conversation to signal a broader change in US policy towards Taiwan, the call is likely to infuriate Beijing which regards the island as a renegade province.

The Taiwanese president ran on a platform of independence from China, so Trump’s action here is likely to be especially provoking to Beijing. And then there's this, from November:

The mayor of Taoyuan confirmed rumors on Wednesday that US president-elect Donald Trumpwas considering constructing a series of luxury hotels and resorts in the northwest Taiwanese city.

A representative from the Trump Organization paid a visit to Taoyuan in September, expressing interest in the city's Aerotropolis, a large-scale urban development project aimed at capitalizing on Taoyuan's status as a transport hub for East Asia, Taiwan News reports.

Quite a record Trump is putting together:

But hey, he might become the first U.S. president to open a resort in Taiwan, and if that doesn’t contribute to American greatness, I don’t know what will.