Trump last week spoke over phone with Taiwanese President, the first by a top American leader since 1979, and then in a series of tweets slammed China for alleged currency manipulation and military build-up in the South China Sea.
His top aids have tended to dismiss the concerns, saying that this was merely courtesy call. Trump’s one of the election campaign promises was to declare China a currency manipulator.
“I am aware of two different phone conversations with officials at the National Security Council with their Chinese counterparts.
“What we have made clear in a couple of different phone conversations is that the administration is committed to our nation’s pursuit of a one-China policy rooted in three communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” Earnest said.
“This is a policy that is based on three joint US-China communiques that were negotiated by different US Presidents in different parties and, of course, by the Taiwan Relations Act.
“This is a policy that has been in place for nearly 40 years, and it has been focused on promoting and preserving peace and stability in the strait. The adherence to and commitment to this policy has advanced the ability of the US to make progress in our relationship with China and of course has benefited the people of Taiwan,” he said.
Earnest said that Taiwan, after all, is the ninth-largest trading partner of the US, and they certainly benefit from peace and stability in the strait and pursuit of and commitment to that peace and stability advances US interests.
Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy: indianexpress.com
