US Sale to Taiwan Clouds Talk with China

choi

Vivian Salama, 特朗普政府内部在对台军售问题上存在分歧; 美国正寻求向台湾出售逾20亿美元坦克等武器，但这桩交易可能对重启美中贸易谈判产生哪些影响，特朗普政府内部对此存在分歧, 华尔街日报, June 18, 2019
https://cn.wsj.com/articles/%E7% ... 6%AD%A7-11560839410

is translated from

Vivian Salama, US Sale to Taiwan Clouds Talk with China. Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2019.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tru ... -taiwan-11560805016

My comment:
(a) The 华尔街日报 report shows only the first three paragraphs, whereas the entire WSJ report (whose online title reflects the Chinese one) is locked behind paywall.
(b) The report indicates that Mr Trump is not the genius of geopolitical game he seems to be orchestrating.
--------------------------------full text
Trump Administration Is Split Over Arms Sale to Taiwan
Some officials fear that the proposed $2 billion deal could hinder trade talks with China

Washington -- As the Us pursues the sale of more than $2 billion of tanks and other weapons to Taiwan, the Trump administration is split over potential repercussions on reigniting trade talks with China.

Concerns are growing that China's president, Xi Jinping, may use the weapons deal as one more excuse not to meet with President Trump this month on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, according to three White House and administration officials.

One said there is already only "a 5000 chance of those talks happening, given how fragile the relationship has become over Mr Trump's escalating tariffs. But others, including national security adviser John Bolton, see the sale as necessary for strengthening Taiwan and countering Chinese aggression.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunited with the mainland one day and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. The US is the main arms supplier to Taiwan, but has formal ties with China rather than Taiwan.

For a time after Mr Trump was elected, this policy seemed to be on the brink of change. Weeks after the 2016 election, Mr Trump spoke by phone with Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen. That broke with decades of US policy of the president or president-elect not communicating directly with Taiwan's leader and infuriated Beijing.

After taking office, Mr Trump focused on developing a better trade agreement with China -- albeit through the use of punitive tariffs -- and Taiwan took a back seat.

Then in March 2018, Taiwan was back on the president's radar -- in a very different light. Mr. Trump's trade tit-for-tat with China had begun, and he was eager to get the Chinese to the table.

Beijing was already furious over a law signed by Mr Trump that encourages the US to send senior officials to Taiwan to meet Taiwanese counterparts and vice versa. Mr Trump got word that a State Department diplomat, Alex Wong, had traveled to Taipei, Taiwan's capital, to communicate the Trump administration's commitment to closer ties with the island.

M =r Trump sounded off to his aides.

"Who the f- is this guy?" he lashed out, referring to Mr Wing, and questioned what a US diplomat was doing in Taiwan, said a person with direct knowledge if the discussion. The president requested that no American diplomats travel to Taiwan while he is [sic] working on a deal with China.

Mr Wong, the State Department and the White House didn't respond to requests to comment.

Aides explained to Mr Trump the strategic importance of Taiwan, the official said, persuading him that a stronger US presence there counters any plan by China to expand its influence beyond the mainland. It took some convincing, but Mr Trump came around, the officials said, and he now sees the value in using Taiwan as  bargaining chip in trade talks with China.