Trump Call with Taiwan’s Lai Not Yet Planned, Sources Say The suggestion that Donald Trump might speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching te about the island's defenses has been met with caution from Beijing.
The Chinese government views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and sees any direct communication between US and Taiwanese leaders as a challenge to its authority.
Since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, no direct phone call has taken place between a US president and the Taiwanese president.