Consider Trump's decision to call the president of Taiwan in the context of China's recent diplomatic snub of Obama. The American President arrived on the tarmac in China in Air Force One for a summit and was greeted by... not much. No senior officials, no red carpet, not even a stairwell to disembark from the plane. Obama had to use the folding stairs built in the plane to exit via the back door. This from a country and culture that values protocol as much as China represents a very deliberate insult. Trump is replying in kind, and putting China on notice that his administration will be very different than Obama.