Donald Trump's conversation with Taiwan President simply a 'courtesy call', Mike Pence says
Updated
US President-elect Donald Trump's phone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, which prompted a diplomatic protest from China, was simply a "courtesy call", Vice President-elect Mike Pence says.
Asked whether any shift in policy should be read into the call, Mr Pence said: "I don't think so."
The call with Ms Tsai was the first by a US president-elect or president with a Taiwanese leader since former president Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.
"This was a courtesy call. The democratically elected President of Taiwan called to congratulate the President-elect," Mr Pence told NBC's Meet the Press.
China's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it had lodged "stern representations" with what it called the "relevant US side", urging the careful handling of the Taiwan issue to avoid any unnecessary disturbances in ties.
Mr Pence said he was not aware of any contact between the Trump transition team and the Chinese Government since Friday, and did not expect Mr Trump's team would reach out this week to ease tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own.
Mr Pence said the call was similar in nature to one between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping after the November 8 election.
"I think I would just say to our counterparts in China that this was a moment of courtesy," Mr Pence said.
"The President-elect talked to President Xi two weeks ago in the same manner. It was not a discussion about policy."
Mr Trump lambasted China throughout the US election campaign, pledging to label the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office.
Asked on American ABC's This Week whether Mr Trump would make good on that pledge, Mr Pence said decisions on policy would come after Mr Trump takes office on January 20.
"It will be for the President-elect to decide whether he implements that policy after the inauguration," Mr Pence said.
'Seek advice before calling'
US Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be valuable for Mr Trump's transition team to seek State Department recommendations before contacting foreign leaders, but there had been no requests for such talking points.
"We have not been contacted before any of these conversations," Mr Kerry told a think tank conference.
"I do think there is a value, obviously, of having at least the recommendations — whether you choose to follow them or not is a different issue — but I think it's valuable to have people who work the desk ... their input on what's the current status of some particular issue at the moment.
"I think that's valuable, and I would certainly recommend it, but obviously that hasn't happened."
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, territorial-disputes, foreign-affairs, us-elections, united-states, taiwan, china, asia
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