Trump reaffirms ‘One China’ policy

After a tense few months, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed the “One China” policy in a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday evening, acknowledging China’s belief that Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory.

Trump had earlier mentioned the policy could be up for negotiation based on U.S. trade issues with China, causing consternation in Beijing. The president also upended a nearly 40-year-old protocol by taking a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in December. Beijing views the One China policy as a nonnegotiable basis for discussions with the United States, rejecting any moves to legitimize Taiwan.

The White House said that during the “extremely cordial” call Thursday, Trump agreed “at the request of President Xi, to honor our ‘One China’ policy.” Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said the two leaders agreed to “keep close contact with each other,” and “strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and economy, investment as well as international affairs.” Lu Kang, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said officials are working toward a meeting between Trump and Xi “at their earliest convenience.”

Thursday’s call came the day before Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Preparations for the call came earlier in the week as Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, and his deputy, K.T. McFarland, met with China’s ambassador to the United States and delivered a letter from Trump to Xi. In the letter, Trump wished the Chinese president a belated Lunar New Year, which began Jan. 28. Beijing responded that it was “very happy” to receive the president’s message.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also met with Trump earlier that day, likely to brief him on the call. Tillerson agreed to uphold the One China policy in his Senate confirmation hearings.

Trump’s move to reaffirm the policy comes at a time of uncertainty in U.S.-China relations. The president has accused Beijing of cheating in trade, criticized China’s military buildup in the South China Sea, and said the country is doing too little to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. He has accused China of manipulating its currency to keep its exports inexpensive and threatened a 45 percent tax on Chinese imports, potentially setting off a trade war.

Thursday’s call came as the U.S. Pacific Command reported a Chinese KJ-200 early warning aircraft and a U.S. Navy patrol plane having an “unsafe” encounter over the South China Sea this week.

The One China policy is vague, as China views it as a statement that only one China exists, and Taiwan is a part of it. The United States acknowledges China’s claims on Taiwan without agreeing to it and remains undecided on Taiwan’s status. Experts on U.S.-Taiwan relations hope the new president will reiterate exactly where the United States stands.

The reaffirmation of the policy staved off confrontation with China, yet Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China and an adviser to China’s State Council, believes it reveals that Trump is all talk.

“Trump lost his first fight with Xi and he will be looked at as a paper tiger,” Shi told The New York Times. “This will be interpreted in China as a great success, achieved by Xi’s approach of dealing with him.”