WarSclerotic

Nor should China’s propaganda about Taiwan being simply a renegade province true. Taiwan was only under mainland Chinese control during the Qing Dynasty, and Chinese control was tenuous even then. Control of Taiwan passed among colonial powers, each leaving a distinct stamp on the character of Taiwan, which is as different from mainland China as Argentina is from Colombia.

Trump may have reversed the policy of his immediate successors with regard to contacts, but the simple fact is that, even after the U.S. switched its recognition of China to Beijing from Taipei, U.S.-Taiwanese official exchanges still occurred at a high level–although admitted less so in recent decades.

The reason why critics consider Trump’s phone call as diplomatically counterproductive is because it will anger China. But has kowtowing to China’s diplomatic sensitivities or even broader cooperation with China enhanced America’s security? In Dancing With the Devil, my history of a half-century of U.S. diplomacy with rogue regimes and terrorist groups, I trace how successive U.S. administrations sought to use Beijing as an intermediary in diplomacy with North Korea. In order to keep China cooperative, both Democratic and Republican administration offered waivers on sensitive technology. Rather than pressure Pyongyang to roll back its nuclear developments and aggression, Chinese officials simply pocketed the concessions and did nothing. After a quarter century, the U.S. State Department has nothing to show for Chinese mediation with North Korea.

More recently, Chinese hackers stole designs for both America’s new F-35 and F-22 stealth aircraft. This saved Beijing billions of dollars and years of basic design work, all the while amplifying China’s ability to check the ability of the United States to project power or, conversely, for China to project power themselves. The Chinese hacking of tens of millions of U.S. personnel records is simply icing on the cake.

If China wants to the United States to defer to its world view, it should show that such deference benefits the United States as well as China. Regardless, it should not be the policy of the United States to endorse or empower Chinese land grabs of territories that have distinct identities and do not desire to be under Beijing’s control.

Rather than condemn Trump on Taiwan, it would be far better to encourage the incoming administration to show as much moral clarity on issues relating to the Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Baltics as they face a growing Russian menace.