President-elect Trump made the first contact with Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen since 1979 on Sunday. This call was the first since Jimmy Carter implemented the one-China policy where there is only one Chinese government, and to not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty, versus Taiwan being its own country.
The phone call between Trump and Ing-wen was reportedly well-planned and had been in the works for awhile. The call was controversial because of the ongoing tension between China and Taiwan–the idea that both countries and governments believe they are their own country, yet China does not acknowledge the Taiwanese government. John Bolton, former UN ambassador for the US, characterized the situation, “The president of the United States [will] talk to whomever he wants to if he thinks it’s in the interest of the United States, and nobody in Beijing gets to dictate who we talk to.”
Wang Yi, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, called the phone call “petty”, and stated “The One-China principle is the foundation for a healthy development of Sino-U.S. relations. We don’t wish for anything to obstruct or ruin this foundation,” according to Washington Post.
