Taiwan call part of long-term strategy under Donald Trump, say insiders

Beijing: The protocol-breaking telephone call Donald Trump held with Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen was a deliberately provocative move planned weeks in advance, The Washington Post has reported.

It signals a tough opening line with China which threatens simmering diplomatic tensions with Beijing even before the US President-elect sets foot in the Oval Office.

The historic communication – the first between leaders of the United States and Taiwan since 1979 – was the product of a new strategy for engagement with Taiwan devised even before Mr Trump became the Republican presidential nominee, the Post reported, citing interviews with people involved in the call's planning.

The call also reflects the views of Trump's hard-line advisers, who are urging a tougher stance on China, and who have criticised the Obama administration as leaving Taiwan – long seen by Republicans as a beacon for democracy and human rights in Asia – isolated and "militarily vulnerable".

Donald Trump's call with Taiwan's President was part of a deliberate strategy, say those involved in its planning.Credit: AP

Beijing's official response to the call has been relatively measured, suggesting a desire to keep the incident from snowballing into a full-blown crisis.

The Chinese government lodged "stern representations" over the weekend, and urged the US to adhere to the so-called One China principle and "prudently" handle affairs relating to Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi laid the blame on Ms Tsai, suggesting the call was the result of Taiwan's "petty tricks".

Mr Trump pushed back against criticism over the incident on Twitter on Saturday, insisting Ms Tsai had "CALLED ME" while questioning why decades of US military arms sales to the self-governed island had not attracted as much scrutiny.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with US President-elect Donald Trump.Credit: AP

He responded to the Chinese government's representations with another volley of tweets, saying he would not be told by China who he should or should not talk to. The tweets included the incorrect assertion that the US does not tax Chinese imports:

In an online editorial on Monday, the People's Daily, the Communist Party's flagship newspaper, denounced Mr Trump's call with Ms Tsai as "deplorable" and infringing the "bottom line" of Sino-American relations.

"From what Trump posted on Twitter after the incident, he himself did not seem to care much about the deplorable nature of the incident. If the state of affairs follows this trend, there might be no fewer 'petty tricks' expected from the Trump administration.

"Trump and his transition team must realise creating problems in Sino-American relations means creating problems for itself. Pushing China in the opposite direction will detract from 'Making America Great Again'."

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Presidential Office hosed down Taiwanese media reports that Ms Tsai was attempting to secure a meeting with members of Mr Trump's transition team, including chief of staff Reince Priebus.

Ms Tsai's office described the reports - which suggested she could make a stopover in New York on her way to Nicaragua for a state visit - as "excessive speculation", according to Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency.