Feb 10, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Trump caves on "One China" policy

Alex Brandon / AP

The president talked on the phone last night with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The White House says it was a cordial call. No leaks yet on whether any officials in the room disagreed on the tone.

The big news: Trump told Jinping the U.S. will respect the "one China" policy, a significant walk back from taking a phone call from the president of Taiwan before Inauguration Day.

The backstory, via the NYT: "Mr. Xi, stung by Mr. Trump's unorthodox telephone call with the president of Taiwan in December and his subsequent assertion that the United States might no longer abide by the One China policy, had not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov. 14, the week after he was elected. ... Administration officials concluded that Mr. Xi would take a call only if Mr. Trump publicly committed to upholding the 44-year-old policy..."

See the Axios Facts Matter on the "one China" policy

Editor's Note: This article was updated after publishing to reflect the most recent version of the New York Times story, which was significantly edited without telling its readers.

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