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Strategic Vision vol. 6, no. 32 (April, 2017)
Shifting Winds
Trump Administration policies seen jeopardizing Taiwan’s security interests Wen-hao Lu
photo: ROC Presidential Office
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ROC military cadets attend the 2017 flag-raising ceremony at the ROC Presidential Office on January 1st, 2017.
ollowing then-President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he had taken a congratulatory call from the president of the Republic of China (ROC), Tsai Ing-wen, the rapt attention of the whole world has been on how this could potentially change the trilateral relationship between the United States, China, and Taiwan. This call was significant for Taiwan because it represented the first such conversation between a sitting
hearken a remarkable breakthrough and an important milestone in US-Taiwan relations. Nevertheless, the truth proved less auspicious. The incoming US president was not in favor of supporting Taiwan’s diplomatic development, as it at first seemed. Rather, as an extremely successful businessman, Trump appeared to have been using the move as part of a “give-and-take” strategy for handling the trade deficit and the North Korea issues with China.
president in Taiwan and a US president (or presidentelect) since Washington broke official diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979. For the Tsai administration, there was good reason to celebrate, because it could
Moreover, compared to his strong criticisms prior to taking office, President Trump’s rhetoric on China has softened, further demonstrating that Washington will likely “give” more in order to “take” something from
Colonel Wen-hao Lu is currently attending the US Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Virginia. He can be reached for comment at luwenhao73@gmail.com