When asked what he thinks about Donald trump, Taiwanese politician Freddy lim said with a laugh. "I'm not a fan," he said.

We are talking about the comments of the US President on issues of women and ethnic minorities. This is not surprising given that lim, lead singer of the popular heavy metal group, is one of the most progressive legislators in Taiwan. However, when trump took an official call from the President of Taiwan Tsai ing-Wen, lim was delighted. He hoped that the call is just the beginning.

"I would definitely like to see what he'll keep his frankness, especially if you will be able to make a breakthrough from the point of view of traditional restrictions on Taiwan-U.S. relations," he said.

Many in Taipei welcomed the communication between trump and Tsai, the first direct contact for a long time the President of the United States and the leader of Taiwan. Though there is also a large dose of pragmatism, as a part of life on the island is stuck in a political quagmire.

Lo Chih-Cheng, legislator and member of the DPP, the party Tsai said that trump had shown "a very friendly stance towards Taiwan." The Communist government in Beijing regards Taiwan as a "rebellious province", since Chinese nationalists fled there and established a government after defeat in the civil war in 1949. For many decades, Taiwan has become an island with a lively democracy with freedom of speech, unlike China, which is tightening control over dissent. While the USA is a strong ally of Taiwan, the U.S. has no official diplomatic relations with the island. This is part of the policy of "one China."
sections: Politics, World News