China lodges protest after Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen
Updated
China has lodged a diplomatic protest after US President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, but blamed the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own for the "petty" move.
Key points:
- China lodges "stern representations" with "relevant US side"
- China's state media says it does not see Taiwan becoming major issue with US
- White House encourages Trump to use expertise of US State Department
The 10-minute telephone call with Taiwan's leadership was the first by a US president-elect or president since Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China".
China's Foreign Ministry said it had lodged "stern representations" with what it called the "relevant US side", urging the careful handling of the Taiwan issue to avoid any unnecessary disturbances in ties.
"The one China principle is the political basis of the China-US relationship," it said.
The wording implied the protest had gone to the Trump camp, but the ministry provided no explanation.
Speaking earlier, hours after Friday's telephone call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointedly blamed Taiwan for the exchange, rather than Mr Trump, a billionaire businessman with little foreign policy experience.
"This is just the Taiwan side engaging in a petty action, and cannot change the 'one China' structure already formed by the international community," Mr Wang said at an academic forum in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office also called the conversation a "petty" move by Taiwan that does not change the island's status as part of China.
Beijing is resolute in opposing independence for Taiwan, it added.
Chinese state media downplays chance of major blow-up
China considers Taiwan a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.
Relations between the two sides have worsened since Ms Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in January.
Chinese state media downplayed the possibility of a major blow-up in Beijing's relations with Washington as Mr Trump prepares to assume office.
Influential state-run tabloid the Global Times said in an online editorial that if Mr Trump really overturned the "one China" principle upon assuming office it would create such a crisis with China he'd have little time to do anything else.
"We believe this is not something the shrewd Trump wants to do."
China's official Xinhua news agency said Mr Trump needed to know Beijing can be a "cooperative partner" as long as Washington respects China's core interests, including the issue of Taiwan.
"China and the United States are not destined rivals," it said in an English-language commentary.
Washington remains Taiwan's most important political ally and sole arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the irony of which was not lost on Mr Trump.
"Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call," Mr Trump said in another tweet.
Mr Trump has eschewed tradition in other calls with foreign leaders since he won the US election, prompting the White House to encourage him to make use of the diplomatic expertise and counsel of the State Department.
Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said on CNN that Mr Trump was "well aware of what US policy has been" on Taiwan.
Administration officials said Mr Trump's team did not alert the White House about the call ahead of time.
The White House also said after Mr Trump's call that "longstanding policy" on China and Taiwan had not changed.
Advisers to the Republican President-elect have indicated that he is likely to take a more robust policy towards China than Mr Obama, a Democrat, and that Mr Trump plans to boost the US military in part in response to China's increasing power in Asia. However, details of his plans remain scant.
Mr Trump lambasted China throughout the US election campaign, drumming up headlines with pledges to slap 45 per cent tariffs on imported Chinese goods and label the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office.
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, territorial-disputes, us-elections, united-states, taiwan, china, asia
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