Trump breaks ice with China's Xi in letter seeking 'constructive' ties

[webfact]

Trump breaks ice with China's Xi in letter seeking 'constructive' ties

By Ben Blanchard and Eric Walsh

REUTERS

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

 

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has broken the ice with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a letter that said he looked forward to working with him to develop constructive relations, although the pair haven't spoken directly since Trump took office.

 

The letter thanked Xi for his congratulatory note on Trump's inauguration and wished the Chinese people a prosperous Lunar New Year of the Rooster, the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

"President Trump stated that he looks forward to working with President Xi to develop a constructive relationship that benefits both the United States and China," it said.

 

China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on Thursday.

 

Trump and Xi have yet to speak directly since Trump took office on Jan. 20, although they did talk soon after Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November.

 

Diplomatic sources in Beijing say China has been nervous about Xi being left humiliated in the event a call with Trump goes wrong and the details are leaked to the U.S. media.

 

Last week, U.S. ties with staunch ally Australia became strained after the Washington Post published details about an acrimonious phone call between Trump and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

 

"That is the last thing China wants," a source familiar with China's thinking on relations with the United States told Reuters. "It would be incredibly embarrassing for President Xi and for Chinese people, who value the concept of face."

 

A senior non-U.S. Western diplomat said China was likely to be in no rush to set up such a call.

 

"These things need to happen in a very controlled environment for China, and China can't guarantee that with the unpredictable Trump," the diplomat said.

 

"Trump also seems too distracted with other issues at the moment to give too much attention to China."

 

TAIWAN, YUAN IN FOCUS

 

There are a number of contentious areas where China fears Trump could go off script, the diplomat said, pointing in particular to the issue of self-ruled Taiwan, as well as trade.

 

Trump upset China in December by taking a phone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. China considers Taiwan a wayward province with no right to formal diplomatic relations with any other country.

 

Trump has also threatened to slap tariffs on Chinese imports, accusing Beijing of devaluing its yuan currency and stealing U.S. jobs.

 

In his Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the disputed South China Sea. The White House also vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway.

 

China has repeatedly said it has smooth contacts with the Trump team. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said last week the two countries were remaining "in close touch".

 

That contact has been led by China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, who outranks the foreign minister.

 

Yang told Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor, last week that China hopes it can work with the United States to manage and control disputes and sensitive problems.

 

The source familiar with China's thinking said Trump's administration was "very clear" about China's position on Taiwan. Trump has yet to mention Taiwan since he took office.

 

Chinese state media has wondered whether Trump has a China policy at all.

 

On Thursday, the widely read Global Times tabloid, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, noted that Trump had not immediately confronted China as had been expected because he had realised upsetting Beijing would backfire badly.

 

"He has probably realised that real tough action against China would result in a complex chain reaction, even beyond his control," the paper said in an editorial.

 

Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Beijing's elite Renmin University, said the letter suggested the new U.S. administration wanted to signal the importance it attached to the U.S.-China relationship without risking being confronted on specific issues.

 

"Trump has sent many messages that makes the world confused, like on the South China Sea and 'One China' policy, so if he makes a phone call President Xi will ask 'what do you mean?'," Wang said. "He wants to avoid this so he just sends a letter for the first step."

 

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING and Eric Walsh in WASHINGTON; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-09

[craigt3365]

Constructive ties are good.  But they have to be both ways.  And done with mutual respect.

[PremiumLane]

someone must have told the orange buffoon that he will lose money if he annoys the Chinese 

[funandsuninbangkok]

24 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

someone must have told the orange buffoon that he will lose money if he annoys the Chinese 

That buffoon is the only thing between you and the Han. 

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

That buffoon is the only thing between you and the Han. 

So much for the Pacific Ocean.

[sanemax]

2 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

someone must have told the orange buffoon that he will lose money if he annoys the Chinese 

Why can you not look at the positives of this ?

You may not like Trump , but you should judge him on his actions, rather than just constantly criticising him .

   He has diffused tensions with both Russia and China , surely thats a good thing for the World ?

[ilostmypassword]

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Why can you not look at the positives of this ?

You may not like Trump , but you should judge him on his actions, rather than just constantly criticising him .

   He has diffused tensions with both Russia and China , surely thats a good thing for the World ?

"He has diffused tensions with both Russia and China , surely thats a good thing for the World ?"

With China? Really? You think one letter has undone all the damage that Trump has already inflicted?

And as for Russia..did you ever hear of the saying that there can be too much of a good thing? How cozy do you think the US should be with Vladimir Putin?

[Opl]

Xi has reached out to Trump three times since his election win, including two congratulatory messages. They had a phone conversation on Nov. 14 in which Xi said cooperation was “the only correct choice” for ties.

Beijing has sought both official and informal channels to boost ties with the new administration

 

"Trump Calls World Leaders... But China's Xi Gets a Letter"

“It’s better than nothing, but it’s only a very small gesture,” said Shi Yinhong, a foreign affairs adviser to China’s cabinet and director of the Center on American Studies at Renmin University in Beijing.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-09/trump-sends-letter-to-china-s-xi-seeks-constructive-relations

 

Edited February 9, 2017 by Opl

[sanemax]

17 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

With China? Really? You think one letter has undone all the damage that Trump has already inflicted?

And as for Russia..did you ever hear of the saying that there can be too much of a good thing? How cozy do you think the US should be with Vladimir Putin?

 

   China and Russia are there and they wont be going away .

It is better to deal with issues through amicable dialect , rather than through sanctions , wars and threats .

   Although, if Obama had done this , you would probably be praising his peace efforts

[pitrevie]

I thought President Bannon wanted to start a war with them.

 

[Opl]

According to Trump, "Trump" brand is worth 3.3 billion dollars . It thus represents about one third of his fortune as declared during his campaign.

The protection of his brand in China is essential for him to cash in the use of the name "Trump" on the products sold there, from hotels to ties.

- Trump has already filed at least 72 brands in China, only part of a plethoric portfolio of protected brands in the world, pillar of his fortune.
- In April 2016, a year after announcing his candidacy,  Trump asked to register 42 other brands in China, according to an AFP count (data from the Chinese government.)
- Then three additional requests were made in June

 

The validation process generally takes between 12 and 18 months. In other words, the Chinese authorities will announce their final decision long after 20 January.
This announcement could then put him at odds with the American Constitution. For it prohibits any president from receiving gifts or "emoluments" from a government

 

Trump Group General Manager Eric Danziger said it was targeting deals between 20 and 30 hotels in China. AFP had previously revealed negotiations of the Trump organization with state's biggest state group, State Grid.

 

When Trump as POTUS will deal with China, how can we know if he will not be influenced by the way Beijing processes these trademark applications?

 

Mutually beneficial relationships

Edited February 9, 2017 by Opl

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

in a letter

I believe that's Secretary of State Tillerson's ghost written letter....do not let Trump near a phone or tweet.

I doubt Trump is capable of writing organized thoughts at the level of international relations with other superpowers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-19/give-melania-a-plagiarism-pass-trump-doesn-t-write-his-stuff

[uptheos]

As long as Trump moves fast and he has such great picks around him knowing China or anyone else who can write the letters, I cant see anything but good for the USA future unless progressives burn the cities down.

 

Are Hillary and Joe working on their 2020 together or maybe big mouth Warren, what a slap in the

chops that was for her

[khwaibah]

[PremiumLane]

4 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

That buffoon is the only thing between you and the Han. 

I would rather take the Han than Lord Cheeto 

[uptheos]

All this fuss and all he said was Happy New Year you bunch of Monkeys (Year of Monkey)

He will be criticized for everything!

[earlinclaifornia]

17 hours ago, sanemax said:

Why can you not look at the positives of this ?

You may not like Trump , but you should judge him on his actions, rather than just constantly criticising him .

   He has diffused tensions with both Russia and China , surely thats a good thing for the World ?

Prove to me what you say about anything being defused is US relations, please.

[ResandePohm]

On 2/9/2017 at 1:01 PM, funandsuninbangkok said:

That buffoon is the only thing between you and the Han. 

If true that is frightening

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.  

[Opl]

Feinstein: Trump trademark in China may violate Constitution

 

“China’s decision to award President Trump with a new trademark allowing him to profit from the use of his name is a clear conflict of interest and deeply troubling,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein , ranking member of theJudiciary Committee.

“The fact that this decision comes just days after a conversation between President Trump and President Xi Jinping where President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. policy of ‘One China’ is even more disturbing as it gives the obvious impression of a quid pro quo,”

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/china-awards-trump-valuable-trademark-45504953

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-china-trademark-dianne-feinstein-235147

 

[mtls2005]

"Constructive ties"? Or "Construction ties?"