beijing/guatemala city china call u.s. officials tuesday let taiwanese president tsai ing-wen pass unite state en route guatemala next month days president-elect donald trump irk beijing speak tsai break decades precedent u.s. state department appear reject call say transit base long-standing u.s. practice consistent unofficial nature u.s. relations taiwan china deeply suspicious tsai think want push formal independence taiwan self-governing island beijing regard renegade province call trump friday first u.s. president-elect president taiwanese leader since president jimmy carter switch diplomatic recognition china taiwan 1979. tsai due visit guatemala one taiwan small band diplomatic ally jan. 11-12 foreign minister carlos raul morales tell reuters taiwan liberty time consider close tsai rule democratic progressive party report monday plan go new york early next month way nicaragua guatemala el salvador taiwan formally confirm tsai trip visit ally region normally combine transit stop unite state meet taiwan-friendly officials trip would take place trump inaugurate jan. 20 replace democrat barack obama tsai delegation would seek meet trump team include white house chief staff reince priebus liberty time say adviser trump transition team say consider unlikely would meet tsai trump go new york china foreign ministry say one-china principle state taiwan part china commonly recognize international community tsai real aim self-evident china hop unite state allow transit send wrong signal taiwan independence force ministry say statement send reuters u.s. state department spokesman mark toner say monday information whether tsai would meet u.s. officials stop transit say taiwanese presidents stop periodically say transit base long-standing u.s. practice consistent unofficial nature relations taiwan spokeswoman repeat position tuesday ask comment chinese call meet american reporters tuesday tsai play significance conversation trump say congratulate president-elect foresee major policy shift near future see value stability region tell reporters u.s. vice president-elect mike pence tell fox news channel tuesday trump regret take call president-elect fully aware one-china policy pence say also aware unite state sell billions dollars arm taiwan unique relationship country define decades since reopen relations people republic china think think felt would rude take call taiwan self govern since 1949 nationalist force flee island defeat mao zedong communists china civil war taiwan presidential office say media report january trip excessive speculation el salvador government say work taiwan plan visit tsai second week january give specific date nicaraguan government immediate comment nicaraguan president daniel ortega swear third consecutive term jan. 10 however tsai trip guatemala would dovetail ceremony white house say monday seek reassure china trump phone call tsai obama administration warn could undermine progress relations beijing china urge u.s. block transit taiwan president