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Sen. Murphy: Trump's Call To Taiwan President 'Foreign Policy Improv'

Craig LeMoult
/
WGBH

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., says he’s still concerned about Donald Trump’s approach to diplomacy with China, despite pushback from the Republican president-elect’s transition team.

Over the weekend Murphy criticized Trump on Twitter for going against diplomatic precedent and speaking by phone with the president of Taiwan.

“This foreign policy improv that we’ve seen from Donald Trump portends some real instability in American foreign policy when he occupies the White House,” Murphy says.

The call upset China. When the U.S. normalized relations with China in 1979, it agreed upon a one China policy. That means it would recognize only one state, and China considers Taiwan to be a rebel province.

“It does not appear there was a lot of thought, maybe no thought, put into this historic phone call with the Taiwanese president and ultimately it has real implications for our relationship with China and our ability to keep this country safe.”

Murphy says he wants Trump to choose a moderate secretary of state with foreign policy experience. Of the names being floated right now, Murphy praised former Utah Republican Governor Jon Huntsman, who was a deputy U.S. trade representative during the George W. Bush administration.

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.