Mick Hartley

I doubt Donald Trump's supporters are going to lose too much sleep over this. Isn't the China-Taiwan situation exactly the kind of absurd political fudge that a plain-speaker from outside the Washington bubble, like Trump, was supposed to cut through anyway? – even though, as seems most likely, it was a blunder rather than a calculated strategic move on his part. [I imagine this will become a common theme under President Trump: blunders explained away by his team as cunning political manoeuvres.]

A couple of primers for those unfamiliar with the background:

David Graham in the Atlantic – So, Why Can't You Call Taiwan?

Max Fisher in the NYT – Trump, Taiwan and China: The Controversy, Explained.

Interesting times.