Trump risks serious rift with China over Taiwan
Subject US Taiwan policy. Significance US President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that Washington could fundamentally alter its policy on Taiwan, implying movement towards recognising Taipei as a sovereign state. The 'Taiwan issue' has little resonance in US politics but huge resonance for Beijing, whose top foreign policy priority is to prevent other governments from recognising Taiwan as a sovereign state and manoeuvre Taiwan into accepting full political unification with China. Impacts In attempting to influence US-Taiwan relations, Beijing will prefer to apply pressure on Taipei rather than Washington. China's leadership may feel they must take risks in order to mollify nationalist sentiment at home. Nothing at present suggests that war is a plausible scenario.