President Trump Agrees To 'One China' Policy After Initial Doubts

President Trump and his administration will honor the "one China" policy while in office, according to the White House.

The announcement occurred after Trump's conversation with President Xi Jinping, who requested that the administration commit to the policy. Under the "one China" policy, the U.S. agrees to recognize the Chinese government as the official authority over its jurisdiction, rather than also acknowledging the leaders of the island of Taiwan.

The policy is the result of a civil war dating back 90 years, when competing factions took control of both China and Taiwan.

"In this sense, the civil war was never fully resolved," said Max Fisher, who writes about foreign affairs for the New York Times.

Since 1979, a cornerstone of American-China relations has been the exclusive acknowledgment of the Chinese government.

Trump and his aides threw this policy into question in December, when the then-president-elect had a phone conversation with the democratically elected Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. As an incoming president, having diplomatic relations with Taiwan was taken as an implicit break with the "one China" policy.

Many observers worried that this action was an unwise provocation of a geopolitical rival; others speculated that it could be a savvy and bold political gambit meant to demonstrate the strength of Trump's hand.

It's not clear yet why exactly the Trump administration appears to have pivoted on the issue. But, for now at least, the American government will recognize one, and only one, government of China, and its President Xi.

Photo credit: UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office