US President-elect Donald Trump is in hot waters again. This time he has somewhat dragged the entire nation with him.
Whether it's his inexperience in foreign policy or someone may have influenced the new American leader into speaking with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen does not really matter. What has been reiterated is the fact that the US and China continue to be at odds.
The United States has officially disrupted diplomatic relations with Taipei since 1979. Over decades, the 'One-China policy' remains in effect until this recent week.
No matter how informal or casual the conversation Trump had with the Taiwanese head, the impression it has manifested goes deep in the Mainland. Beijing has always believed that a province of around 23 million people will always be a part of China which is why it has been trumpeted time and again that the renegade location will be reunited with the Motherland by force or by diplomatic resolution in the future.
Despite the blunder, a spokesperson for Washington's National Security Council has assured everyone that the upcoming administration remains aligned with Beijing.
According to spokesman Ned Price, cross-strait policies remain the same.
Even China's Foreign Ministry has downplayed the incident as Minister Wang Yi cited the move of the Tsai government as inconsequential. Still, China has protested the protocol miscue.
Meanwhile, the Democrats have called Trump's action as something reckless that risks the nation's national security.
There are speculations that the new President has been influenced by former Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Yates, who has been named by the Taiwanese media as one of Trump's pro-Republic of China (ROK) advisers.
Yates has responded that there may be a need to re-assess US defense policies considering that a simple courtesy from a democratic ally has threaten the peace at the Asia-Pacific region.
The incoming US President himself has put little weight on what he did. On Twitter, Trump points out that it is quite intriguing not to accept a congratulatory phone call from a country that the US is dealing with billions of dollars' worth of military merchandise.
