January 28, 2017

"The reactions to statements by Secretary of State Nominee Rex Tillerson and the White House, that the U.S. would prevent China from accessing its own artificial islands in the South China Sea, show the difficulties foreign leaders and commentators have had in adjusting to the Trump administration. The reactions include an op-ed in the state-run China Daily saying: 'Such remarks are not worth taking seriously because they are a mish-mash of naivety, shortsightedness, worn-out prejudices, and unrealistic political fantasies. Should he act on them in the real world, it would be disastrous.' The more hawkish Global Times warned 'Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories.'

These statements reveal that those who made them or those for whom they speak still think that we are in a world in which a statement by the White House or the Secretary of State reflects a worked-out policy, and is the result of deliberations and careful wording. Instead, the world should now get used to a president and administration that speak first and (maybe) think later. President Donald Trump has already built a record of statements that reflect a momentary sentiment or peeve or imagined facts, but not a thought-out policy."

Read more:

http://thediplomat.com/2017/01/tillerson-trump-and-the-south-china-sea/

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