Posted on 02/10/2017 10:05:26 PM PST by Pinkbell
WASHINGTON — When President Trump took a phone call from the leader of Taiwan in December and asserted that the United States might no longer be bound by the “One China” policy, his defenders hailed it as a show of strength — the latest delicate issue on which Mr. Trump was willing to challenge decades of diplomatic orthodoxy.
On Thursday evening, Mr. Trump fell back into line. In a call with President Xi Jinping of China, he pledged fealty to One China, a 44-year-old policy under which the United States recognized a single Chinese government in Beijing and severed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Mr. Trump has also tacked to the center on Israel. After presenting himself as a stalwart defender of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who would buck the pressure campaign against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Mr. Trump warned Israelis this week that he did not believe that “going ahead with these settlements is a good thing for peace.”
And on Iran, where Mr. Trump threatened as a candidate to rip up the nuclear deal struck by President Barack Obama, advisers to the new president told the European Union’s top foreign policy official, Federica Mogherini, that the United States would fully carry out the agreement.
As Mr. Trump begins to shape his foreign policy, he is proving to be less of a radical than either his campaign statements or his tempestuous early phone calls with foreign leaders would suggest. On Friday, as he welcomed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to the White House, Mr. Trump characterized America’s alliance with Japan as a “cornerstone of peace and stability.” Those time-tested words bore little resemblance to his threats during the campaign to mothball the partnership.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Where he never took a firm stance on the 'One China' policy, it seemed that he was open to changing it and/or not letting China dictate what the U.S. can recognized. With Iran, he and Pence talked about ripping up the Iran nuclear deal on the campaign trail, and now his advisers say he will be keeping it in place. With Israel, he has always said he wants a deal for peace, but he came out strongly against the UN condemning Israel for settlements, but now he is saying Israel shouldn't continue with settlements. Also, one thing he talked about on the campaign trail was making Japan and South Korea pay more for military, but so far, there has been no indication that is so.
Link to interview about Israeli settlements:
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=40265
One thing of note regarding China:
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, administration officials said, was among those who urged Mr. Trump to publicly endorse the One China policy as a way to defuse tensions with Mr. Xi. Before Thursday, the two leaders had not spoken since Nov. 14; administration officials said that the Chinese leader would not get on the phone with Mr. Trump without assurances from the administration that he would commit to the policy.
Tillerson, if I'm recalling correctly, was recommended to Trump by Bob Gates and Condi Rice. I don't like the idea of Trump having to concede that point so the Chinese will take a phone call. The guy that Tillerson just tried to hire under him, Abrams, was a Never Trump neocon. Trump blocked the hiring. I have never been a fan of the Tillerson pick.
There has been some smug satisfaction among the media covering him, and the leftists, meanwhile, are mocking him as not being tough like he said and backing down.
Of course, all we can do is wait and see. Perhaps this is strategic on Trump's part, and he feels like with China, for example, he'll concede certain things so he can negotiate others.
Like you, I will just wait and see who things play out.
who=how
The man is entitled to change his mind. Of course, we all want warm relations with Putin and ixnay on one China and two states, but really that’s because we thought that was what he wanted. I don’t have a problem with switching back to hating on Putin and giving the back of the hand to Taiwan, if those are to be the new prescriptions.
The Times? No fear. No fear at all. It’s as if angels are raining down on earth right now. Trump will do fine.
Foreign policy is going to be the least of our problems in a year. Everything is going to be domestic focused once the killings start.
Sounds like he’s getting things under control with his message since firing leakers or those feeding the MSM false info before.
“asserted that the United States might no longer be bound by the “One China” policy”
Fake news.
” once the killings start.”
What are you talking about?
Let’s see:
A NYT article that links to msn.com
Everyone quoted either worked for Obama or for GWB or for a liberal think tank.
said Peter D. Feaver, who served in Mr. Bush’s National Security Council.
said Jeffrey A. Bader, a former top China adviser to Mr. Obama.
said David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
said Martin S. Indyk, the executive vice president of the Brookings Institution.
Michael J. Green, an Asia director in the George W. Bush National Security Council, noted
In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, which was published on Friday, Mr. Trump said settlements “don’t help the process” — a phrase that is not substantially different from those used by Mr. Obama or Mr. Bush.
I’m not a blind follower. I backed him because I liked what he said in the campaign. If he changes his mind, that doesn’t mean I have to.
It’s been 21 days. And take into account 17 of those days were without a SecState. I’ll wait a few months then see how things are playing out.
Trump made a mistake in his one China policy tweet.
Talking to the President of TaiwN itself made the point loud and clear.
Because of that he now has backed down in the eyes of the Chinese and others.
There are strange things happening in China now regarding power struggles. China is a banana republic and civilian power comes ultimately from military backing.
Trump has, with this back down, aided Xi Jinping a lot in this power struggle with the Shanghai clique.
Xi has or know this.
When I hear it from Trump or his spokesman, I will believe what has occurred. I disbelieve nearly everything from the MSM, and the internet. Trust very little, and verify everything.
If the New York Times is saying something and you agree with it, it’s time for a personal inventory.
I’m kidding, but seriously. The New York Times couldn’t get it right with regard to Israel if it’s winger were on the line.
I am reflexively pro Taiwan independence. Then every so often Taiwan makes overtures that it might want to unify with China.
This really does cut the legs out from under my willingness to back it to the hilt.
If it will refrain from that sort of thing and make a declaration, then I’d be a lot more willing to go all in for it.
The left isn’t going to stop short of a civil war.
> “I know it’s the New York Times, but the article has brought up some things I have been pondering. I actually was just discussing them earlier in the day. I was observing that Trump seems to have shifted on foreign policy with respect to where he was on the campaign trail and as President-elect.”
He hasn’t shifted anything. It’s the NY Times making you think that. They are liars.
The reason the President has not tweeted directly is because Tillerson is negotiating with the Chinese regime and he wants everything on the table with no side tweets.
NY Times will do anything, say anything for the President to appear to be failing. So while the President is silent on the matter, they fill the news feed with BS as if they think they are somehow relevant.
Well said.
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