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Taiwan worked with US lobbyist to set up Trump call

WASHINGTON — Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, acting as a paid lobbyist for Taiwan’s government, connected Mr Donald Trump’s staff with Taiwanese officials in advance of an unprecedented phone call between the United States president-elect and Taiwan’s president.

Former US presidential nominee Bob Dole worked behind the scenes over the past six months to establish high-level contact between Taiwanese officials and President-elect Donald Trump’s staff. Photo: Reuters

Former US presidential nominee Bob Dole worked behind the scenes over the past six months to establish high-level contact between Taiwanese officials and President-elect Donald Trump’s staff. Photo: Reuters

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WASHINGTON — Taiwan has used former United States senator Bob Dole as an agent to establish contact with US President-elect Donald Trump’s staff, an outreach effort that culminated last weekend in an unorthodox telephone call between Mr Trump and  President Tsai Ing-wen. 

This suggest that Mr Trump’s decision to take a call from Ms Tsai was less a hamfist diplomatic gaffe and more the result of a well-orchestrated plan by Taipei to use the election of a new President to deepen its relationship with Washington with help from a seasoned lobbyist well-versed in the machinery of Washington.

Mr Dole, a lobbyist with the Washington law firm Alston & Bird, coordinated with Mr Trump’s campaign and the transition team to  set up meetings between Mr Trump’s advisers and officials in Taiwan, according to disclosure documents filed last week with the Justice Department. Mr Dole also assisted in successful efforts by Taiwan to include language favourable to it in the Republican Party platform, according to the documents.

Mr Dole’s firm received US$140,000 (S$198,500) from May to October for the work, the forms said.

“They’re very optimistic,” Mr Dole said of the Taiwanese in an interview on Tuesday. “They see a new President, a Republican, and they’d like to develop a closer relationship.”

The US’ One-China policy is nearly four decades old, Mr Dole said, referring to the policy established in 1979 that denies Taiwan official diplomatic recognition but maintains close 
contacts, promoting Taiwan’s democracy and selling it advanced military equipment.

The phone call between Mr Trump and Ms Tsai was a striking break from nearly four decades of diplomatic practice and threatened to precipitate a major rift with China. 

On Wednesday (Dec 7) Beijing accused Ms Tsai of seeking to use a planned transit stop in the US en route to Central America next month to score diplomatic points.

Asked at a briefing whether China has asked the US to cancel the stop, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan and accused Ms Tsai of political machinations. 

“Taiwan’s administration and leader always perform some petty moves like a transit diplomacy whose ulterior political intentions are clear for all to see,’’ Mr Lu said.  

The disclosure documents were submitted before the call took place and made no mention of it. But Mr Dole, 93, a former Senate majority leader from Kansas, said he had worked with transition officials to facilitate the conversation. “It’s fair to say that we had some influence,” he said.

That letter and the document detailing Mr Dole’s work for the Taiwanese were filed at the Justice Department, which requires foreign agents to register and detail their efforts at influencing the US government. 

Among his duties, the letter said, were helping Taiwan achieve its “military goals” and obtain membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade deal that Mr Trump has promised to withdraw from. 

The effort has continued since the election, with Mr Dole on Tuesday saying he was trying to fulfil a request from a special envoy from Taiwan who was visiting Washington to see Mr Reince Priebus, tapped by Mr Trump to be White House chief of staff, and Mr Newt Gingrich, who is close to the President-elect. AGENCIES

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