US President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised the prospect of speaking to Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, in what would be an unprecedented move and a major departure from US diplomatic norms.
US and Taiwanese presidents have not spoken directly since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei.
“I’ll speak to him,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before boarding Air Force One when asked whether he would call Lai before making a decision on whether he will sign off on a major Congress-approved arms sale to the island.
“I speak to everybody. We have that situation very well in hand,”…