How the Trump-China Taiwan spat could help North Korea



Opinion How the Trump-China Taiwan spat could help North Korea A major decline in U.S.-PRC relations could see China up its support for Pyongyang John Lee December 16, 2016 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Donald Trump - Gage Skidmore - CC BY-SA 2.0) Earlier this month, U.S. President-elect Trump set a historic precedent by speaking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, making it the first time that a U.S. president/president-elect has directly spoken to a Taiwanese president in 37 years. Beijing’s response to the phone call was subdued. Perhaps because Trump is viewed as a foreign policy novice or the fact that he has not yet been sworn into office or perhaps for both reasons, it appeared that Beijing was seeking to minimize the event. However, evidencebegan to emerge that the phone call was not a fluke, but rather a © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Opinion

How the Trump-China Taiwan spat could help North Korea

A major decline in U.S.-PRC relations could see China up its support for Pyongyang

John Lee December 16, 2016

How the Trump-China Taiwan spat could help North Korea

Donald Trump - Gage Skidmore - CC BY-SA 2.0)

Earlier this month, U.S. President-elect Trump set a historic precedent by speaking on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, making it the first time that a U.S. president/president-elect has directly spoken to a Taiwanese president in 37 years.

Beijing’s response to the phone call was subdued. Perhaps because Trump is viewed as a foreign policy novice or the fact that he has not yet been sworn into office or perhaps for both reasons, it appeared that Beijing was seeking to minimize the event.

However, evidencebegan to emerge that the phone call was not a fluke, but rather a

About the Author

John Lee

John Lee is the Managing Editor of Korea Pro, based in Seoul, where he leads daily executive briefings, in-depth analyses and high-level events for business leaders, diplomats and policy professionals. Since joining Korea Pro in 2022, he has expanded the platform’s coverage of South Korea’s economy, trade and foreign policy and moderates its flagship Korea Business Forum and Seoul Circuit series. Before taking the helm at Korea Pro, John contributed to NK News and Korea Pro as a writer focused on South Korean foreign policy and U.S.-ROK relations. His work blends on-the-ground reporting with data-driven analysis of South Korea’s political economy, economic security and its evolving role in global affairs.

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