Trump’s Trouble Travels to Taiwan

On Dec. 3, Donald Trump accepted a call from Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, congratulating him on his presidency. The call between the President and the President-elect drew a large amount of attention because Taiwan is considered by China, and also the United States, as a ‘renegade province’ of China. Trump accepting the call was a risky move that has yet to show any superiority over China, since China has said that Taiwan is part of China under the “One China” policy. China is also willing to go to war for control of Taiwan.

It has been made abundantly clear in the days following the call, that breached protocol would not be tolerated by China. As such, President-Elect Trump should formally apologize to China and denounce Taiwan’s statehood, as not doing so will certainly strain or even ruin our relationship with China. When you look at it analytically, it makes more sense to please the large, powerful and economically strong nation than to stick up for the little guy in order to look tough to the international community.

Although some might say that we shouldn’t apologize for our actions, in today’s society keeping good foreign relationships is vital for a nation’s growth. We need to apologize and compromise. Not just for Taiwan, but for everything else, too. China supports our economy and they are also an important ally to have in respect to North Korea; China could be the main force blocking North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

“I think since Taiwan considers itself independent, it shouldn’t cause any conflicts because it’s not really under Chinese control, even though China technically owns the land,” freshman Kenny Castillo said.

For the sake of our nation and foreign relationships, President-Elect Donald Trump should apologize for his actions. He risks ruining one of our strongest allies because of his actions.