The following are excerpts of the transcript of the U.S. State Department press briefing on Dec 5 in Washington D.C. during which Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner responded to questions of the president-elect Donald Trump’s phone conversation with Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan.
QUESTION: Can we start on the call the president-elect had --
MR TONER: Of course.
QUESTION: -- to – with the Taiwanese president --
MR TONER: Yeah, sure.
QUESTION: -- last week? Just to go over some of the logistics, you guys were not informed beforehand that this call might happen. Is that correct?
MR TONER: That’s correct.
QUESTION: And has there been any contact with the president-elect or his team or anyone from the transition apparatuses since the call?
MR TONER: Not that I’m aware of. Since the call took place --
QUESTION: Yeah, did you --
MR TONER: -- have we gotten any kind of readout or anything like that?
QUESTION: Exactly.
MR TONER: No, we have not.
QUESTION: And has --
MR TONER: To my knowledge, we have not.
QUESTION: Have you had any contacts with – has the Chinese Government had any contact with you particularly about this call?
MR TONER: So in that regard, and I can’t – it’s for them; I’ll let them read out what that contact entailed – but my understanding is that Chinese vice foreign minister did speak with Ambassador Baucus on the issue, I believe, on Saturday.
QUESTION: On Saturday?
MR TONER: Yes.
QUESTION: And without getting, then, into exactly the substance of what they said, what did you tell them in response?
MR TONER: Well, I wasn’t privy to the phone conversation. Certainly, what I can say is that there’s no change to our longstanding policy on cross-strait issues, which, as all of you know in this room, is based on the fundamental interest in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations, and obviously we remain firmly committed to the “one China” policy, and that’s based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act.
So from our perspective, there’s been no change in our longstanding policy with regard to Taiwan.
QUESTION: And you’re speaking on behalf of the Obama --
MR TONER: I’m speaking on behalf of the --
QUESTION: -- the Obama Administration or --
MR TONER: -- present Administration, yes.
QUESTION: The current Administration?
MR TONER: That’s – and that is all I can do.
QUESTION: Right. So you don’t know exactly – one, you don’t know what the phone conversation between the president-elect and the Taiwanese entailed?
MR TONER: I don’t.
QUESTION: And you don’t know exactly what their plans are for this “one China” policy that you say --
MR TONER: No, I’d have to refer you to them, obviously, to speak to it.
QUESTION: All right, thank you.
MR TONER: Yeah, sure. Please, go ahead.
QUESTION: A follow-up?
QUESTION: A follow-up?
MR TONER: Oh, sure. Did you want to follow up on --
QUESTION: Yeah, I’m on the --
MR TONER: Are you going to go – let’s finish this and then we’ll go over to you. Sure.
QUESTION: So from the State Department perspective, how will you suggest or advise the transition team for this kind of call?
MR TONER: How would we --
QUESTION: How will you advise or suggest the transition team?
MR TONER: Well, broadly speaking, the Secretary spoke a little bit about this process yesterday when he was at the Saban Forum, and it is normally – and others have spoken about this as well – in the past, president-elects – presidents-elect, rather, excuse me, have consulted with secretaries of state or subject matter experts within the State Department before making these kinds of calls. It’s not necessary. It’s not mandatory. It does allow them to get perspective on policy issues by people who have been intimately involved in these issues for some period of time. And I think the Secretary made the point that that can be helpful.
QUESTION: Chinese – the Chinese foreign ministry characterized this incident as a petty maneuver on Taiwan’s part. How would you suggest that Taiwanese president – would you encourage her to reach out more to the transition team?
MR TONER: Look, I’m certainly not – not my job to advise the president of Taiwan or how she should conduct her – or their relations with other countries. All I can speak to is what our current policy is with regard to Taiwan and with regard to cross-strait relations.
Our primary interest, as I just said, is in stable, peaceful cross-strait relations. And the – one of the ways in which we pursue this, and we’ve done so since, I think, 1979, is that we remain firmly committed to this policy of one China. And as I said, that has not changed previous to or since the phone call by the President-elect.
Please.
QUESTION: This is obviously a transition period and policies have not been articulated yet, policy teams haven’t even completely been formed, but is – what is your sense in terms of the impact of the call for U.S.-Chinese relations? Has it been damaging?
MR TONER: I mean, I’d really – again, I’d have to say that the Chinese are probably best positioned to characterize their reaction to the phone call.
QUESTION: But you wouldn’t call it --
MR TONER: No, of course. I mean, they clearly – they clearly used established diplomatic channels to engage and to express their feelings about the phone call or their position on the phone call. Again, I don’t want to characterize it. It’s not up to us to do that. What our – what I can say is that our response back to them has been that our policy has not changed and it’s going to remain that way, at least for the balance of this Administration.
Now, we cannot speak to the incoming administration and what their priorities and what their policies might be and how they might change. We just aren’t able to do that at this point.
QUESTION: And what do you see as the benefit of the policy you’ve had since ’79? I mean, if it was changed, what would be the impact of that? Why would you --
MR TONER: Well, again, it’s allowed us – I mean, there’s a number of reasons, but by establishing this “one China” policy, it’s allowed us to develop relations – frankly, closer relations with Beijing and also to deepen our unofficial ties with Taipei. So in our estimation, it’s been a productive policy to pursue given Beijing’s very serious concerns in this case. Again, it’s allowed us, in a sense, to, as I say, deepen our cooperation with China on many different aspects, including economic, but certainly security and others; but also, as I said, at the same time, we’re able to still pursue relations with Taipei.
QUESTION: Change of topic?
QUESTION: Mark, you said that there’s been no contact whatsoever, diplomatic contact with Taiwan since 1979. None whatsoever, right?
MR TONER: Well, we’ve had informal contacts. I mean, I – what I think I was responding to is --
QUESTION: Okay. So how do you conduct your relations with Taiwan in this case? I mean, much as the President-elect said, you sell them arms, you do a lot of trade and all these things.
MR TONER: Well, right. I mean – again, I mean, we have informal contacts with the leadership in Taipei, and as you note, we do have fairly strong relations with them that includes arms sales and other --
QUESTION: Trade – they’re the ninth trading partner and --
MR TONER: Trade – exactly, trade is another important issue. I mean, look, we – again, this policy is predicated on the belief that we can pursue closer relations with Taipei at the same time that – as we are cognizant of China’s security concerns and political concerns regarding Taiwan.
QUESTION: President Tsai Ing-wen --
MR TONER: Sure, one more, and then we’ll get --
QUESTION: President Tsai Ing-wen will be in New York next month on transit to Nicaragua early January. Can we expect any exchanges between the State Department and her team?
MR TONER: I certainly don’t have anything to announce at this time. You do point out that these – periodically, the president will transit through U.S. territory. What I can say about that is that that kind of transit’s based on longstanding U.S. practice and it’s consistent with the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan. And frankly, they’re – reflect or they’re done out of consideration, I think, for the safety, comfort, and convenience for the travelers.
QUESTION: So will the State Department provide any safety, comfort, assistance to the --
MR TONER: Again, I mean, there’s a certain protocol here, an informal protocol. We usually allow them to transit here, if nothing else, for their comfort and convenience. But it’s in keeping – it’s consistent with longstanding practice. But I can’t say whether we’ll have any meetings with them. I just don’t have that in front of me at the time to announce or to confirm.
QUESTION: So is – this phone call will give any influence for – about President Tsai’s transit stop in New York?
MR TONER: I just – it’s just hard for me to predict. Again, it’s several weeks off, I believe, or a month or so off. Look, we have ongoing relations with Taipei, with the leadership there. That hasn’t changed. What I can just say is that there has been no change yet in our policy regarding Taiwan, and it’s an important point to make because, as we say, that policy has allowed us to improve relations with Beijing, with China, at the same time as engaging in strong bilateral relations with – or strong relations, informal relations, with Taipei.
QUESTION: Can --
QUESTION: So can I say that --
MR TONER: Yeah, go ahead, go ahead. It’s okay.
QUESTION: Can I say – so did the State Department treat this phone call like not improving the relationship between Taipei and --
MR TONER: I just – I’m sorry, and I know what you’re trying to ask me. I’m not going to characterize it one way or another. This – he is the President-elect. He is making his own decisions. He’s getting his own advice and counsel from his transition team. We respect that. We certainly are – stand by – we being the State Department, but indeed the entire Obama Administration stands ready to brief them, consult with them before they make not just this phone call, but other phone calls to leaders around the world. But it’s by no means, as I said, mandatory. It’s not required.
So it’s really up to them to make their own decisions with regard to who they’re going to speak to, who they’re going to engage with, and the ramifications or consequences of those actions.
Please.
QUESTION: It sounds from – from what you’re saying, it sounds like this call doesn’t undermine the current “one China” policy that you have.
MR TONER: It doesn’t. I mean, that policy hasn’t changed. Yes.
QUESTION: So why did American presidents avoid having conversations like this for the last 40 years if having – if the president-elect having one doesn’t seem to have any effect? You’re saying it’s not a big deal, everything goes on as before, and then at the same time you’re saying we’ve avoided this for 40 years because the “one China” policy is so great and it’s allowed us to do all these wonderful things with both China and Taiwan.
MR TONER: Well --
QUESTION: So you’re having it both ways.
MR TONER: Sure. Well, let’s be clear, is – and this just isn’t me speaking obviously – that Beijing, China’s position on Taiwan, is very well known, and it’s because of that position that we developed and adhere to this “one China” policy. So I’m not saying that one phone call, give or take, is going to upset that balance, but it is – it’s only through consistency in implementing this policy and standing by this policy that you have, as I said, stable cross-strait relations.
Yeah, one more. One more, and then I promise I’ll get to you. I apologize.
QUESTION: Sorry. Thank you. Has anyone talked to --
MR TONER: I think we’ve talked this --
QUESTION: Has anyone talked to the Taiwanese Government regarding this call?
MR TONER: Since the phone call?
QUESTION: Yes.
MR TONER: It’s a fair question. I’m not aware we have. If that’s different – I just don’t think we have. I don’t think there’s been any calls. But if that’s changed, we do have – excuse me. We do have an unofficial relations – or rather, we have the American Institute in Taiwan, which is how we carry out our relations, informal relations, with Taiwan. I don’t know if they’ve had any contact with government officials since the call, so I’ll just have to check on that.
QUESTION: Thank you.
MR TONER: You look confused. I’m just saying I don’t have anything to read out. I don’t have anything to confirm.
QUESTION: I have, actually, a quick Taiwan follow-up and then Syria.
MR TONER: Sure.
QUESTION: So the president-elect said that the Taiwanese leadership had contacted him. Do you know if that’s a habit that they have of trying to contact whoever the U.S. president-elect is, and then it’s up to that president to answer or not? For example, did they try to call Obama in 2008?
MR TONER: Yeah. Yes, and the answer is I don’t know. I don’t have that in front of me. I’m sorry.
