"Branstad has extensive ties to China and a personal friendship with Chinese president Xi Jinping that dates back decades. If his nomination goes through, the move could help reassure China’s leadership that Trump understands the importance of healthy relations with Beijing."
"China will likely now be looking for ways to punish Tsai for the incident," says Paul Haenle, the director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing. "Will the president-elect stand up for Taiwan when that happens? This is one of the real concerns of those who have pushed back against publicizing the phone call."
"Taiwan is our ally," said Stephen Moore in a radio interview. "That is a country that we have backed because they believe in freedom. We oughta back our ally, and if China doesn’t like it, screw 'em."
Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor and ambassador to China under President Obama, is on the new list of candidates.
Sources say that "Iowa governor Terry Branstad, a longtime friend of Chinese president Xi Jinping, is the frontrunner for the crucial post of U.S. ambassador to China."
At a press conference in Beijing with his Iranian counterpart, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the international agreement "should not be affected by any changes in the domestic situations of the countries concerned," an apparent reference to the United States.
Trump’s action bypassed the mechanisms we have in place for the conduct of foreign policy, usurped the prerogative of a sitting president, and dumped what could easily still prove to be a significant diplomatic crisis on President Obama’s lap.
Top China news for December 5, 2016. Get this daily digest delivered to your inbox by signing up at supchina.com/subscribe.
A September meeting between a woman who claimed to represent Trump’s business interests and backers of the largest development project in Taiwan’s history may create the appearance of a potential conflict of interest.