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Trump risks major diplomatic dispute with China after speaking with Taiwan's prez

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jstripes

Banned
That's not how international relations work though. If you tell people what's up, they will react and show you what's up as well. Countries don't just eat stuff up.They will reply in kind. Especially so when you deal with a China that sees itself as an equal on the world stage.

You can't just bully around actors like China and expect to get away with it unscathed.

Trump may have had Russian hackers on his side, but let's see how he fares against Chinese hackers.
 
Chances are, Trump didn't even know any of this.

Funny, scary and almost 100% true.

This has to be the most easily misled President of any first world country, ever. Like I bet someone on his cabinet could get him to sign off drone-ing a made up country if they wanted to.
 

Maxim726X

Member
Veep is real life now

Side note, but I remember seeing a video with actual politicians saying that Veep was closer to reality than House of Cards.

Yep, that seems accurate.

Does this dude seriously think you can just tell everyone how great they are and how much you like them and that's how you fix the world?

I mean, yeah. He's basically in 'Rally Trump' mode when speaking to foreign dignitaries. It worked for morons in the US, why won't it work on the global stage?
 

TyrantII

Member
We live in a global economy where China's economy absolutely hinges on a strong US economy.

There isn't really an historical precedent for that.

China's economy hasn't been so hot, while the US is doing pretty well. Economics isn't simple. Plus that doesn't even get into China's ability to turn on a dime, because they're not a democracy and their economy is state run.
 

jfkgoblue

Member
There won't be a trade war with China because both nations would be crippled.

Don't say that, you will get dumped on for being too gung-ho American
China's economy hasn't been so hot, while the US is doing pretty well. Economics isn't simple. Plus that doesn't even get into China's ability to turn on a dime, because they're not a democracy and their economy is state run.

So their response would be to take away nearly 20% of their exports? They may be a state run economy(not really, but ok) but they still need money from outside sources.
 

Drifters

Junior Member
He made 1 phone call in 4 decades to people who we should be allied with and people are wigging the fuck out? Jesus, I'm going to have to have temper my expectations for what Trump does in the future.
 
I bet Obama will sit on some nice private beach on Hawaii and laugh his ass off about Trump.

Nope Obama's gonna be living in DC for a while after he leaves office. People will most likely come to him to complain when Trump messes up something which will most likely be often given he has no experience in politics and was and is a really bad businessman.
 

Xe4

Banned
That's not how international relations work though. If you tell people what's up, they will react and show you what's up as well. Countries don't just eat stuff up.They will reply in kind. Especially so when you deal with a China that sees itself as an equal on the world stage.

You can't just bully around actors like China and expect to get away with it unscathed.
Unscathed how? What can China do to the US that won't hurt itself as well. We're it's number one trading partner, so it's unlikely they'll try to punish us economically, and they're not crazy enough to do anything militaristically. I'm more worried about Trump's protectionist policies with regards to China then anything else he says or does.
 

Game Guru

Member
I'm fairly unfamiliar with the Taiwan/ROC recognition dispute. Is there any actual reason why we shouldn't have improved relations with Taiwan outside of just keeping the PRC happy?

Basically? Both the People's Republic of China (what we call China) and the Republic of China (what we call Taiwan) claim that they are the nation of China with all that entails. As in, the Republic of China constitutionally defines itself as both the island of Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland, while the People's Republic of China constitutionally defines itself as both the Chinese Mainland and the island of Taiwan. Both nations refuse to budge on this and refuse to even talk to each other or anyone who talks to the other, generally.
 

Corsick

Member
Senate Foreign Relations Democrat @ChrisMurphyCT on this topic:


CytQVCaXUAAogGK.jpg:large
 

kess

Member
Aerotropolis, like, wait, Eric Trump wants to build a Sonic themed resort

Sonic CD bad future confirmed
 

Boney

Banned
Honestly, this is a good thing. It's not like Trump was calling him so the negative reaction can be minimized, but for what it's worth, opening diplomatic ties with Taiwan is for the best
 
Nope Obama's gonna be living in DC for a while after he leaves office. People will most likely come to him to complain when Trump messes up something which will most likely be often given he has no experience in politics and was and is a really bad businessman.

I know that he'll stay in DC. I meant that he takes a couple of weeks of holiday after his presidency.
 

jstripes

Banned
Unscathed how? What can China do to the US that won't hurt itself as well. We're it's number one trading partner, so it's unlikely they'll try to punish us economically, and they're not crazy enough to do anything militaristically. I'm more worried about Trump's protectionist policies with regards to China then anything else he says or does.

China isn't above pettiness. It can be a whole lot of little things.

International relations can get very passive-aggressive.
 

The Lamp

Member
I'm wondering if his stupidity can get things bad enough to where we impeach him but not bad enough to get us all killed.
 

jstripes

Banned
Oh man, remember how Taylor Swift caused problems with China earlier this year with her 1989 Tour? She was selling merchandise that said "TS 1989", which China thought could refer to Tienanmen Square.
 

TyrantII

Member
So their response would be to take away nearly 20% of their exports? They may be a state run economy(not really, but ok) but they still need money from outside sources.

Retaliation is rarely logical or symmetrical.

They could sell off their debt holdings in US bonds and cause some havok. We would retaliate, then it's off to the races.

As said previously, these things tend to start small and spiral out of control. A slight can turn into a small retaliation that turns into something huge, and nations are stuck in positions they never wanted as nationalist pour gas in the fires.

International politics is no joke, and great unintended harm can come quick to those that don't take it fucking seriously.

It's pretty much been the guiding force since WWI/WWII era ended.
 
Honestly, this is a good thing. It's not like Trump was calling him so the negative reaction can be minimized, but for what it's worth, opening diplomatic ties with Taiwan is for the best

I always love when folk's AVI quotes explain their strategic and tactical prowess. Next time, try reading beyond the headline and not reflexively playing contrarian and you might not look ignorant by not realizing the leader Trump spoke with is a woman. Please, proceed
 
Honestly, this is a good thing. It's not like Trump was calling him so the negative reaction can be minimized, but for what it's worth, opening diplomatic ties with Taiwan is for the best

It's really not. As others have said, a discussion about our relationship with Taiwan is fine. That's a reasonable thing to want.

Stumbling dick-first into a diplomatic incident because you're too goddamned stupid to know any better is not the way to go about it, but that seems to be the path Trump has chosen.
 

spwolf

Member
Nearly 20% of ALL their exports is to the U.S.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/china/exports
When it comes to China, I just laugh at those who think that they will ever do anything to the U.S.

or US anything to them since most of their exports are goods from US owned companies.

It is very symbiotic relationship that goes both ways.

If China crashes US economy, they will crash theirs too. There is no point to that.

These end of the world articles are going out of control. Obama would have been championed for this and he was taking hard stance on Chinese claiming ownership of islands far away from China as it is.
 
CNN just had this same topic as breaking news.

As history goes I would side with Taiwan's right to be free and recognized, although the whole 'We Are the real China' thing is on both sides, so I understand this makes diplomatic relations between both shaky to put it mildly.

This policy change is huge and sends the wrong signals to mainland China. Now that it is done Trump needs to follow through and keep relations with Taiwan open and not back down to pressure because he needs to make this look like it was not an accident. No one wants to see the dude flip flopping with major shifts like this. smh
 
CNN just had this same topic as breaking news.

As history goes I would side with Taiwan's right to be free and recognized, although the whole 'We Are the real China' thing is on both sides, so I understand this makes diplomatic relations between both shaky to put it mildly.

This policy change is huge and sends the wrong signals to mainland China. Now that it is done Trump needs to follow through and keep relations with Taiwan open and not back down to pressure because he needs to make this look like it was not an accident. No one wants to see the dude flip flopping with major shifts like this. smh

We're ruled by idiots that we all have to pretend aren't, so that we don't enrage allies. Fuck it, let Trump and his fans preside over the ash heap, they deserve it. Everyone else is along for the ride now.
 

Slo

Member
Not a Trump supporter, but the leader of the free world shouldn't have to ask permission to make a phone call because he's afraid of what the mean girls will think. We should be recognizing Taiwan in the first place.

This is a co-dependent situation, no reason why we should be more scared of them than they are of us. China should shut up and keep getting rich by selling us their products.
 

chadskin

Member
Sounds like the same thing as when the Dalai Lama visited the White house last year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-obama-dalailama-idUSKCN0Z02SV

It's not the same thing at all.

A) Obama knows what he's doing, not because he personally is so smart but because these decisions were made after careful considerations by foreign policy experts in the WH and elsewhere in the administration,
B) none of Obama's decisions had the potential to fundamentally upend the status quo of the US's 'One China' policy; the purpose was to show possible retaliations over China's actions in the South China Sea, i.e. usual diplomatic back and forth,
C) Trump's action today was, at best, a dangerous gaffe, at worst it signals a fundamental shift in US foreign policy, not made after careful considerations of the potential advantages and disadvantages of such an action, but apparently because the transition team of the President-elect told him to take a phone call.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I'm actually for open communication among world leaders and don't think we should be beholden to China's perspective on Taiwan, so - without really knowing the potential consequences of this - I'm actually glad for the breach. We need to be talking with everyone.

On the other hand, sometime soon Trump is going to really step in it because of his clear ignorance of international relations, and create a huge mess. (If he hasn't already.)
 

Goro Majima

Kitty Genovese Member
Not a Trump supporter, but the leader of the free world shouldn't have to ask permission to make a phone call because he's afraid of what the mean girls will think. We should be recognizing Taiwan in the first place.

This is a co-dependent situation, no reason why we should be more scared of them than they are of us. China should shut up and keep getting rich by selling us their products.

.

Well put

I don't understand the reactions here over this specifically
 
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