Taiwan’s government delivered a letter to President-elect Donald Trump this week through a former Trump administration official during a private lunch, according to sources familiar with the matter. This discreet delivery stands in contrast to the controversial phone call between then-president-elect Trump and Taiwan’s president after the 2016 elections, which defied long-standing US policy towards Taiwan and garnered global attention.
Both instances aimed to congratulate the incoming president, but the differing approaches highlight how Taiwan and other countries are engaging with Trump in new ways as they seek to establish a positive relationship with the incoming administration in the early stages following his election victory.
A former Trump administration official noted, “Last time, some perceived Taiwan as taking advantage of Trump by arranging the phone call and disrupting decades of US policy that avoided direct communication with Taiwan out of respect for the one-China policy.”
The contrasting interactions also indicate that the Trump transition team is more intentional about Trump’s engagements with world leaders during this transition period, as per former Trump officials.
Sources familiar with recent conversations stated that since winning the presidential election, Trump has not directly communicated with Taiwan’s government. However, former Trump officials mentioned that a call between Taiwan’s leader and Trump could potentially occur during the transition period.
