The China Post
Date: December 4, 2016
By: Alan Fong

President Tsai Ing-wen’s phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump came as a much-welcomed respite for her. But it’s also a risky bet.

The president, besieged by a raft of controversies, has been steadily losing public support and facing challenges on multiple fronts from labor groups, pan-blue supporters, anti-gay marriage protesters and even members of her own Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Her historic call with Trump, who addressed her in his Tweet as “President of Taiwan,” seems poised to boost her approval ratings and earn her wiggle room with her party’s pro-independence “deep green” faction, which has been vociferously unhappy with her moderate cross-strait policy.

For some, the call validates Tsai’s claim that “pivoting” away from mainland China can be a viable strategy, now that the American president-in-waiting has expressed his support for Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]