The News Lens
Date: 2016/12/14
The U.S. and Taiwan continue to react to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments on the “one-
China policy,” made on Fox News Sunday. Trump said, “I fully understand the ‘one China’ policy, but I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘one-China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”
Richard C. Bush, senior fellow at the U.S.-based Brookings Institution and former U.S. diplomat in Taiwan, published an open letter to Trump yesterday. Bush writes, “Not only would it not work as a practical matter to try to use the One-China policy to leverage U.S. objectives on other issues, it would be immoral to do so. Taiwan is not a ‘tradeable good'” and “to enter into negotiations with China on the One-China policy is to create a zone of uncertainty that puts Taiwan at risk.”
According to CNA, Taiwanese officials said on Monday that Taiwan will not become “a bargaining chip” in an international geopolitical game if the country can maintain democracy and expand international participation. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文)’s spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) has refused to comment on Trump’s remarks, but says Taiwan would be pleased to see policy changes by any other government that can ensure the country’s democracy and help Taiwan take part in international events or discussions. [FULL STORY]