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China dismisses Trump-Taiwan call as 'small trick by Taiwan'

[email protected] (Agencies)
December 3, 2016

Beijing, Dec 3: China today played down US President- elect Donald Trump's telephone talk with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, dismissing it as a "small trick by Taiwan" that cannot change the One-China framework or damage Sino-US ties.

taiwan"I do not think it will change the One-China policy that the US government has insisted on applying over the years," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after unprecedented move by US President-elect, Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV reported.

"The One-China policy is the cornerstone of the healthy development of China-US relations and we hope this political foundation will not be interfered with or damaged," Wang said after Trump spoke to Tsai, a striking break with decades of US diplomatic practice not to directly speak with Taiwan leader.

While Trump's call caught China by surprise, Wang's quick reaction played down expectations of a strong reaction from Beijing which wants to establish full contacts with Trump administration after he formally takes over power next month.

Like most of the countries in the world, US too pursued a so-called "One-China" policy since 1979, when it shifted its diplomatic recognition by formally recognising People's Republic of China (PRC) instead of Taiwan which broke off with mainland in 1949 after the formation of the PRC.

However, US continues to maintain low-key contacts with Taiwan including supplying military hardware to it.

China is trying to open up its channels with Trump as President Xi Jinping yesterday met former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who is widely regarded as part of back channel diplomacy between both the countries.

In his meeting with Kissinger, Xi said China hopes for sustained, healthy and stable ties with the US.

He said the mutual benefits of relations between the two countries outweigh their differences, and China is willing to work with the US for a smooth transition following last month's presidential election.

Xi said China and the US should continuously promote the new type of major power relations, and strengthen their coordination on international affairs.

Kissinger, a regular visitor to China, said the US-China relationship is important to the two countries, as well as the world as a whole. He hoped he can keep playing an active role in boosting the relationship.

"As a trailblazer for China-US ties, Kissinger paid a secret visit to China in 1971 which paved way for the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties in 1979," state-run Xinhua said in its report on Xi-Kissinger meeting.

A statement from Trump's transition team said he spoke with Tsai, who offered her congratulations.

Trump tweeted later: "The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!"

The Taiwanese presidential office also issued a statement saying Trump and Tsai discussed issues affecting Asia and the future of US relations with Taiwan.

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Agencies
August 7,2020

Washington, Aug 7: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) signed executive orders halting all transactions with Chinese applications TikTok and WeChat within 45 days, citing national security concerns, further escalating the tensions between Beijing and Washington.

"WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States. Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. 

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," Trump said in a statement.

Citing reasons for the ban on WeChat, the US President said that the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the US, thereby providing the CCP a mechanism to keep tabs on the Chinese citizens who may be "enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives".

"In March 2019, a researcher reportedly discovered a Chinese database containing billions of WeChat messages sent from users in not only China but also the United States, Taiwan, South Korea and Australia. WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP. 

These risks have led other countries, including Australia and India, to begin restricting or banning the use of WeChat. The US must take aggressive action against the owner of WeChat to protect our national security," he added.

Earlier, Trump had issued an order banning TikTok as it "reportedly censors content that the CCP deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. 

TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the CCP."
US politicians have repeatedly criticised TikTok, owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance, of being a threat to national security because of its ties to China.

The development comes as China and the US are at loggerheads on a variety of issues including Hong Kong national security law, the South China Sea, the novel coronavirus and trade.

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Agencies
July 17,2020

Washington, Jul 17: US President Donald Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow has said that TikTok may cut off ties to its Chinese parent and become a 100 per cent American company to circumvent demands to ban it as India has done.

"I think TikTok is going to pull out of the holding company which is China-run and operate as an independent American company," he told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

The US has not made a final decision on whether to ban it - which has been suggested by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he said.

TikTok being divested by ByteDance Technology Company "is a much better solution than banning or pushing away", said Kudlow, who is the Director of the National Economic Council.

He said that its services will be located in the US and "it will become an hundred per cent American company".

If it becomes a US company without Chinese links, India may have to reconsider the ban on the short video app wildly popular in the country.

India banned TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps on June 29 citing threats to its defence and national security.

The ban came after a deadly clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

Under Beijing's National Security Law, all Chinese companies have to provide intelligence requested by the government, creating risks for users and their countries.

India was TikTok's biggest market outside of China, where it operates as Douyin.

There were about 200 million users in India and over 300 million downloads.

The US comes next with over 30 million users for the app.

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News Network
February 22,2020

Washington, Feb 22: US President Donald Trump will raise the issue of religious freedom with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India next week, the White House said on Friday, noting that the US has great respect for India's democratic traditions and institutions.

"President Trump will talk about our shared tradition of democracy and religious freedom both in his public remarks and then certainly in private. He will raise these issues, particularly the religious freedom issue, which is extremely important to this administration," a senior official told reporters in a conference call.

The official was responding to a question on whether the president was planning to speak to Modi on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the National Register of Citizens.

"We do have this shared commitment to upholding our universal values, the rule of law. We have great respect for India's democratic traditions and institutions, and we will continue to encourage India to uphold those traditions," the official said, requesting anonymity.

"And we are concerned with some of the issues that you have raised," the senior administration official said, in response to the question on CAA and NRC.

"I think the President will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities," the official said.

"Of course, it's in the Indian constitution -- religious freedom, respect for religious minorities, and equal treatment of all religions. So this is something that is important to the president and I'm sure it will come up," said the official.

Pointing out that India has a strong democratic foundation, the official said India is a country rich in religious, linguistic, and cultural diversity.

"In fact, it's the birthplace of four major world religions," the official noted.

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