Since being elected, Trump has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. If the telephone conversation between Tsai and Trump could prompt the establishment of a direct communications channel between the two sides, misunderstandings would be reduced, thereby benefiting the relationship, experts said. In related news, Stephen Yates, who was deputy security advisor to former US vice president Dick Cheney, is in Taiwan. He is scheduled to meet with Tsai, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) before returning to the US tomorrow. Washington sources said that Yates is to be appointed to a position in the White House after Trump’s inauguration.

Source: Taipei Times December 02, 2016 16:01 UTC