President Trump has said that he needs to consult with Chinese President Xi Jinping before speaking to Taiwan’s leader. He said this in an interview with Reuters news agency, he wouldn’t want to “cause difficulty” for the Chinese leader by breaking the ‘one China policy.
“He’s a friend of mine. 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 some issues 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.”
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.
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