Trump Risks China Rift After Call with Taiwan’s President

“Donald Trump risks opening up a major diplomatic dispute with China before he has even been inaugurated after speaking on the phone on Friday with Tsai Ying-wen, the president of Taiwan,” the Financial Times reports.

“The telephone call, confirmed by three people, is believed to be the first between a US president or president-elect and a leader of Taiwan since diplomatic relations between the two were cut in 1979.”

“Although it is not clear if the Trump transition team intended the conversation to signal a broader change in US policy towards Taiwan, the call is likely to infuriate Beijing which regards the island as a renegade province.”

New York Times: “The White House was not told about Mr. Trump’s call until after it happened…  But the potential fallout from the conversation was significant.”