The former Speaker of the United States House of Representative, gave another perspective on Trump’s conversation with the President of Taiwan.
Newt Gingrich said that their conversation will create a better relationship for USA with China.
The conversation between President-elect Trump and the Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-wen, is something that has not occurred in more than 35 years. In 1979, USA interrupted the relationships with the Taiwanese government. This marked the moment when the US officially recognized that the Beijing government is the ruling party over Taiwan, in a “One China” policy. In the year to follow, USA had only some unofficial relationships with Taiwan. Taiwan is seen by China as a separatist region.
On Fox News’ Monday morning “Fox & Friends”, Gingrich affirmed: “I think this whole state department mythology that we have to somehow let the Chinese dictate to us is nonsense and I thought it was a good signal to the world that Donald Trump is going to be his own person.” He continued: “If the Chinese want to deal with the United States, they are going to have to actually deal with the United States. They are not going to be able to intimidate us.”
During the actual political campaign, Gingrich was a very close adviser for Donald Trump. So, the former House Speaker said that President Trump was right to speak with the Taiwanese president, because he has to communicate with any democratically-elected leader around the world. Donald Trump, in his political campaign, promised to take a different position about China by stopping the flux of American jobs and discussing China’s currency manipulation. The reason for Friday’s phone call was for improving the relationships between USA and China. Gingrich also declared: “I think that for a long time we were intimidated by Beijing, and I think we were in part patient because we had this theory that they would gradually mellow and they would become more democratic and freer and more open. Well, that’s not happening right now.” Newt continued: “We’re not the enemies of China. Let’s be very careful. We don’t want to start some kind of cold war with Beijing. But I think we’re going to have very tough negotiations and I think we have to try to understand each other but that means the Chinese have to try to understand us as much as we have to try to understand them.”
Newt Gingrich denied accusations that Donald Trump’s call was reckless behavior in dealing with foreign policy. Gingrich said that Trump should continue to defy the diplomatic rules wherever he considers it wise to do so. Newt also suggested that the president-elect should also take action with reforming the State Department to fit with American values.
Gingrich concluded: “Somehow it’s okay with the state department to talk to any dictator on the planet, but an elected leader of a democracy, boy, that’s really dangerous.” “Which is why, frankly, I think the next secretary of state has to spend half their time cleaning out the state department and the other half their time negotiating with the world.”
Image credit: Gage Skidmore (commons.wikimedia.org)
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