In Hot Water? Or Very Smart Move?

Me, "Trust me,.Trump knew the hot water that would result from taking a phone call from Taiwan's president. It was Trumps unofficial way of telling mainland China that Trumps' administration was going to be more proactive than Obama's on economy issues and.military issues and to pause and rethink future possible bubbling issues the two countries will face together."

From article, "Is Taiwan a bargaining-chip for Trump on China?"

(As a candidate, Mr Trump accused Beijing of "raping" the United States with its trade policies and threatened to levy a punishing tariff on Chinese goods.

Hard-line Republicans have welcomed the Taiwan telephone call as evidence that Mr Trump the president would continue confronting China.

"He showed the dictators in Beijing that he's not a pushover," Representative Dana Rohrabacher told Fox News.

Others have suggested that the president-elect wants to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip for a better economic deal.

'This whole idea of finding ways to strengthen and increase the level of contact with and support for Taiwan is not only sure to drive China crazy, but at the same time give us some leverage over China," says Patrick Cronin at the Center for New American Security.)