Here’s a brief summary of what just happened: way back in the 70s, we wanted better relations with China. China wanted better relations with us. But China had stipulations, among which was the insistance that we never recognize or even contact the Taiwanese government. We agreed and pulled our embassy out and no president has contacted the Taiwanese president since 1979.
Except Trump just called the Taiwanese president. Why? No one knows. Maybe it has something to do with his hotel in Taipei. Maybe he wanted to offer his condolensces for the death of the chef who invented General Tso’s chicken who just died at 98. Maybe he wanted to see what would happen if he did.
What happens now? No one knows. Maybe China responds angrily. Maybe they forgive him. There’s literally no way of knowing because these things don’t happen. This is life under Trump, each day promising new unprecedented chaos.
I’m confused though. is it just the president? because we have Taiwanese goods here…
We trade with Taiwan and sell them weapons, but we don’t have formal diplomatic relations with them and we don’t recognize their government as legitimate. We don’t have an embassy but we have a “research institute” that serves as one.
In addition to the China/Taiwan mess, he’s also called Pakistan, which Pakistan has taken to mean he’ll be open to negotiating the border between them and India, which India has resisted for a long time.
He’s called Kazakhstan, where the leader has been in office since 1989 and is accused of fraud and harsh ruling tactics.
““By taking such a cavalier attitude to these calls, he’s encouraging people not to take him seriously,” said Daniel F. Feldman, a former special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. “He’s made himself not only a bull in a china shop, but a bull in a nuclear china shop.”” x
delightful
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
myblog 