Trump Organization Squashes Rumors of Expansion into Taiwan

The Trump organization is defending accusations that the company is making plans to expand in Taiwan. They say the claims are false, according to ABC News. 
 
The organization's announcement on Saturday comes after President-elect Donald Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, breaking decades-long diplomatic policy with China.
 
According to Taiwanese and Chinese media reports, a representative of the organization visited a city in Taiwan in September and expressed interest in the company's investing in a large-scale urban development project.
 
However, Trump Organization's vice president of marketing, Amanda Miller, told ABC News in a statement, "There are no plans for expansion into Taiwan, nor are any of our executives planning a visit. The rumors of a planned development there are simply false."
 
Meanwhile, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan's leader on Friday was a "courtesy call" and does not necessarily reflect a shift in U.S. policy.
 
The phone call led China to lodge a formal diplomatic protest with the U.S. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the call as "just a small trick by Taiwan" and said "healthy" U.S.-China relations hinge upon the so-called "one-China" policy.
 
In an interview Sunday with NBC's "Meet the Press, Pence said China's response was no more than media hype and he noted the estimated 50 calls Trump has had with world leaders since the Nov. 8 election.
 
Pence said he's not aware of any contact between Trump or his advisörs and Chinese officials since the incident. When asked if there might be a follow-up phone call to Chinese leaders this week, Pence said probably not.