BEIJING – China said Monday that it had "serious concern" about President-elect Donald Trump's most recent comments about Taiwan, and warned that any changes to how America deals with the self-governing island could damage diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

China's comments came a day after Trump said in a television interview that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy."

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said that established policy is the "political foundation" of any diplomatic relationship between China and the U.S., and that any damage to it could render cooperation "out of the question."

"We urge the new U.S. leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue, and to continue to stick to the one-China policy," Geng said.

Since recognizing the People's Republic of China in 1979, the U.S. has adhered to the one-China policy, recognizing Beijing as the capital of China and maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. American law, however, requires the U.S. to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and to treat all threats to the island as matters of serious concern.

China split from Taiwan amid civil war in 1949 and continues to regard the island as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Geng's comments are the strongest public condemnation China has made of Trump's criticisms of current American policy toward Taiwan.

Beijing was already angered by Trump's Dec. 2 phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first time an American president or president-elect has publicly spoken to a Taiwanese leader in nearly four decades. China considers any reference to a separate Taiwanese head of state to be a grave insult.

Trump followed the call with two tweets accusing China of manipulating its currency, unfairly taxing American imports and provoking tensions in the South China Sea.

Over the weekend, he told "Fox News Sunday" that he wouldn't feel "bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

Trump said his call with Tsai was "very nice" and strictly meant to congratulate him on his winning the presidential election.

"Why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?" he said. "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it."

Hours after the interview aired, China's Communist Party-controlled Global Times published a Chinese-language editorial headlined: "Trump, please listen clearly: 'One China' cannot be traded."

"China needs to launch a resolute struggle with him," the editorial said. "Only after he's hit some obstacles and truly understands that China and the rest of the world are not to be bullied will he gain some perception."

"Many people might be surprised at how the new U.S. leader is truly a 'businessman' through-and-through," the paper said, referring to Trump's suggestion of using the one-China policy as a bargaining chip. "But in the field of diplomacy, he is as ignorant as a child."

The Global Times, which is published by the party mouthpiece People's Daily, often runs commentaries that target nationalistic sentiment with provocative language.

Chinese officials have been more restrained so far. They may be still trying to learn how to make their positions clear to Trump without feeding a vicious cycle of insults and heightened tensions, said Dali Yang, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.

However, Trump's suggestion that he could negotiate on Taiwan likely went too far for China, Yang said.

"He expected for China to bargain again for the one-China position, perhaps by giving up something on trade or something of that nature," Yang said. "This is actually the foundation of the U.S.-China relationship, rather than something to be bargained over."

Associated Press researchers Yu Bing and Liu Zheng contributed to this report.</s>BEIJING — China said Monday that it had "serious concern" about President-elect Donald Trump's most recent comments about Taiwan, and warned that any changes to how America deals with the self-governing island could damage diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

China's comments came a day after Trump said in a television interview that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy."

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said that established policy is the "political foundation" of any diplomatic relationship between China and the U.S., and that any damage to it could render cooperation "out of the question."

"We urge the new U.S. leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue, and to continue to stick to the one-China policy," Geng said.

Since recognizing the People's Republic of China in 1979, the U.S. has adhered to the one-China policy, recognizing Beijing as the capital of China and maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. American law, however, requires the U.S. to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and to treat all threats to the island as matters of serious concern.

China split from Taiwan amid civil war in 1949 and continues to regard the island as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Geng's comments are the strongest public condemnation China has made of Trump's criticisms of current American policy toward Taiwan.

Beijing was already angered by Trump's Dec. 2 phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first time an American president or president-elect has publicly spoken to a Taiwanese leader in nearly four decades. China considers any reference to a separate Taiwanese head of state to be a grave insult.

Trump followed the call with two tweets accusing China of manipulating its currency, unfairly taxing American imports and provoking tensions in the South China Sea.

Over the weekend, he told "Fox News Sunday" that he wouldn't feel "bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

Trump said his call with Tsai was "very nice" and strictly meant to congratulate him on his winning the presidential election.

"Why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?" he said. "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it."

Hours after the interview aired, China's Communist Party-controlled Global Times published a Chinese-language editorial headlined: "Trump, please listen clearly: 'One China' cannot be traded."

"China needs to launch a resolute struggle with him," the editorial said. "Only after he's hit some obstacles and truly understands that China and the rest of the world are not to be bullied will he gain some perception."

"Many people might be surprised at how the new U.S. leader is truly a 'businessman' through-and-through," the paper said, referring to Trump's suggestion of using the one-China policy as a bargaining chip. "But in the field of diplomacy, he is as ignorant as a child."

The Global Times, which is published by the party mouthpiece People's Daily, often runs commentaries that target nationalistic sentiment with provocative language.

Chinese officials have been more restrained so far. They may be still trying to learn how to make their positions clear to Trump without feeding a "vicious circle" of insults and heightened tensions, said Dali Yang, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.

However, Trump's suggestion that he could negotiate on Taiwan likely went too far for China, Yang said.

"He expected for China to bargain again for the one-China position, perhaps by giving up something on trade or something of that nature," Yang said. "This is actually the foundation of the U.S.-China relationship, rather than something to be bargained over."

Associated Press researchers Yu Bing and Liu Zheng contributed to this report.</s>BEIJING — China said Monday that it had "serious concern" about President-elect Donald Trump's most recent comments about Taiwan, and warned that any changes to how America deals with the self-governing island could damage diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

China's comments came a day after Trump said in a television interview that he didn't feel "bound by a one-China policy."

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said that established policy is the "political foundation" of any diplomatic relationship between China and the U.S., and that any damage to it could render cooperation "out of the question."

"We urge the new U.S. leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue, and to continue to stick to the one-China policy," Geng said.

Since recognizing the People's Republic of China in 1979, the U.S. has adhered to the one-China policy, recognizing Beijing as the capital of China and maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. American law, however, requires the U.S. to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and to treat all threats to the island as matters of serious concern.

China split from Taiwan amid civil war in 1949 and continues to regard the island as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Geng's comments are the strongest public condemnation China has made of Trump's criticisms of current American policy toward Taiwan.

Beijing was already angered by Trump's Dec. 2 phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first time an American president or president-elect has publicly spoken to a Taiwanese leader in nearly four decades. China considers any reference to a separate Taiwanese head of state to be a grave insult.

Trump followed the call with two tweets accusing China of manipulating its currency, unfairly taxing American imports and provoking tensions in the South China Sea.

Over the weekend, he told "Fox News Sunday" that he wouldn't feel "bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

Trump said his call with Tsai was "very nice" and strictly meant to congratulate him on his winning the presidential election.

"Why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?" he said. "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it."

Hours after the interview aired, China's Communist Party-controlled Global Times published a Chinese-language editorial headlined: "Trump, please listen clearly: 'One China' cannot be traded."

"China needs to launch a resolute struggle with him," the editorial said. "Only after he's hit some obstacles and truly understands that China and the rest of the world are not to be bullied will he gain some perception."

"Many people might be surprised at how the new U.S. leader is truly a 'businessman' through-and-through," the paper said, referring to Trump's suggestion of using the one-China policy as a bargaining chip. "But in the field of diplomacy, he is as ignorant as a child."

The Global Times, which is published by the party mouthpiece People's Daily, often runs commentaries that target nationalistic sentiment with provocative language.

Chinese officials have been more restrained so far. They may be still trying to learn how to make their positions clear to Trump without feeding a vicious cycle of insults and heightened tensions, said Dali Yang, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.

However, Trump's suggestion that he could negotiate on Taiwan likely went too far for China, Yang said.

"He expected for China to bargain again for the one-China position, perhaps by giving up something on trade or something of that nature," Yang said. "This is actually the foundation of the U.S.-China relationship, rather than something to be bargained over."

Associated Press researchers Yu Bing and Liu Zheng contributed to this report.</s>BEIJING -- China said Monday that it has “serious concern” about President-elect Donald Trump’s latest comments suggesting he is reconsidering America’s relationship with Taiwan.

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Monday that Mr. Trump’s comments in a television interview over the weekend raised the possibility that U.S.-China relations would be “badly affected.” Geng said the “one China” policy was the “political foundation” of any Sino-American ties.

Impact of President-elect Trump's Taiwan call, China criticisms

“If it is compromised or interrupted, the sound and steady growth of China-U.S. relationship and the cooperation in important fields between the two countries will be out of the question. We urge the new U.S. administration and its leadership to fully recognize the sensitivity of the Taiwan problem and stick to One China policy,” Geng said.

The United States switched relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. China considers Taiwan to be part of China and any reference to a separate Taiwanese government as a grave insult.

But Mr. Trump said on “Fox News Sunday” that he doesn’t feel “bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”

In a commentary published hours after Mr. Trump’s remarks to Fox, China’s state-run tabloid the Global Times blasted the president-elect as “naïve,” even “immature” for suggesting he could change the U.S. stance on the one-China policy.

The opinion piece suggests that Mr. Trump read up on U.S.-China relations and stop resorting to “bullying,” but it also leaves the new U.S. leader room to change his mind, suggesting he is “very fickle” and “may eat his words sometime soon.”</s>Sovereignty question: The ‘One-China policy’ underscores recognition of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan. Picture shows a protest in Taiwan against a meeting in 2015 between the leaders of Taiwan and China. | Photo Credit: Chiang Ying-ying

China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday warned that any change in the U.S.’s one-China policy will impair ties between Beijing and Washington.

“Upholding the ‘one China’ principle is the political basis for developing China-U.S. ties. If this basis is interfered with or damaged, then the healthy development of China-U.S. relations and bilateral cooperation in important areas is out of the question,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing on Monday.

Mr. Geng was responding to a spate of queries following a Sunday interview on Fox News by President-elect Donald Trump, where he questioned the U.S.’s persistence with the one-China policy, unless there were concessions from Beijing on trade and other issues.

“I don’t know why we have to be bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,” Mr. Trump said.

He also blamed China for devaluing its currency, and not cooperating with Washington on North Korea and the South China Sea.

The one-China policy underscores recognition of China’s sovereignty over Taiwan — a position that has been held by the U.S. since 1979.

“China has noted the report and expresses serious concern about it. I want to stress that the Taiwan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and involves China’s core interests,” Mr. Geng said.

Earlier, an editorial in the Global Times newspaper, affiliated with the Communist Party of China, asserted that the one-China policy was non-negotiable. It rebuked the U.S. President-elect for being “as ignorant as a child in terms of foreign policy”.

The daily warned that Beijing would have no reason to “put peace above using force to take back Taiwan” if Mr. Trump retracted from the policy, in place since 1979.

The one-China policy “is not something that can be negotiated... It seems Trump knows only about business. He thinks he can put a price on everything”, Global Times said.

“At that time [after Trump abandons the one-China policy]... mainland China will put forward a series of decisive new Taiwan policies. We will prove that the United States no longer dominates the Taiwan Strait.”

“He particularly needs to learn what the relationship between China and U.S. is about.”

Some Chinese academics point out that Mr. Trump’s remarks were not driven by his inexperience in foreign policy.

“It appears that the remarks were made quite deliberately. Perhaps, Mr. Trump and his team want to make a deal with China, based on the Taiwan issue. But China, cannot make any deal, which questions its sovereignty over Taiwan,” Liu Zongyi of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies told The Hindu.

Reuters quoted Wang Yiwei, an international relations professor at Beijing’s Renmin University, as saying Mr. Trump was possibly using the Taiwan issue to try and strike a bargain with China over trade. “He wants to get the best possible trade deal with China he can so that he can boost the U.S. economy.”</s>BEIJING (AP) — China expresses ‘serious concern’ about Trump’s latest comments on Taiwan, saying ‘one China’ policy is crucial to ties.</s>China Expresses 'Serious Concern' Over Trump's Comments On Taiwan

Enlarge this image toggle caption Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News that he wouldn't feel "bound by a 'One China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade."

The One China policy has guided U.S.-China discourse since 1979, when Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing and downgraded its embassy in Taiwan.

The Chinese government has responded to Trump's comments by expressing "serious concerns."

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry said that any damage to the "political foundation" of the U.S.-China diplomatic relationship could make further cooperation between the two countries "out of the question," The Associated Press reports.

Trump's comments came more than a week after he spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen on the phone, a startling departure from long-standing diplomatic policy. Leaders of the U.S. and Taiwan haven't communicated directly in decades.

"The United States and China have agreed on the one-China policy – a diplomatic recognition of Taiwan as part of One China — for four decades," NPR's Rob Schmitz reports from Shanghai.

"Chinese state media were quick to respond to Trump's comments," Rob says. "The Global Times printed an op-ed stating the One China policy is not for sale, going on to say that Trump is playing a dangerous game in which he's treating Taiwan as a pawn."

Global Times, which is controlled by the Communist Party, also called Trump "as ignorant as a child" when it comes to diplomacy, language far stronger than that used by Chinese officials, the AP reports.

Politics Bob Dole Lobbied Trump Team On Outreach To Taiwan Bob Dole Lobbied Trump Team On Outreach To Taiwan Listen · 2:28 2:28

"On Thursday, less than a week after Trump's conversation with Taiwan's president, China's military flew a nuclear-capable bomber over disputed islands in the South China Sea," Rob notes.

Robert Daly, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, spoke to NPR's Morning Edition after Trump's controversial phone call with Taiwan's president.

"Taiwan is China's core interest," Daly said. "And it defines a core interest as something it is willing to go to war over."
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman says these comments raise the possibility that U.S.-China relations could be adversely affected, and that the One-China policy is the political foundation of the ties between the two countries.