Isaac Stone Fish | Dec 5, 2016
“In a January essay, John Bolton, a Trump advisor and former George W.
Bush administration ambassador to the United Nations, argued the United
States could use Taiwan to compel China to behave less aggressively.
(Bolton reportedly visited
Trump Tower on Friday—the day of the call.) This process could “start
with receiving Taiwanese diplomats officially at the State Department”
and end with “restoring full diplomatic recognition,” Bolton wrote. Reportedly
a candidate for a top post in the Trump administration, Bolton
recognized Beijing “would be appalled” by these steps. But he said this
is a smart way to counter China’s aggression in the South China Sea.”