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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump hints US 'One China' policy could end | Donald Trump hints US 'One China' policy could end |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| President-elect Donald Trump has questioned whether the US should continue its "One China" policy. | President-elect Donald Trump has questioned whether the US should continue its "One China" policy. |
| In 1979 the US cut formal relations with Taiwan and has since respected China's stance, which sees the self-ruled island as a breakaway province. | |
| Mr Trump said he saw no reason why that should continue without key concessions from Beijing. | |
| His comments have provoked an angry response from Chinese state media. | |
| An editorial in the Global Times warned him that the "One China policy cannot be traded". | |
| It comes after he took a phone call from Taiwan's President, sparking a diplomatic row and a formal protest from Beijing. | |
| 'Very disrespectful' | |
| Speaking in an interview with Fox News broadcast on Sunday, Mr Trump said: "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." | Speaking in an interview with Fox News broadcast on Sunday, Mr Trump said: "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 also said China was not co-operating with the US on its handling of its currency, on North Korea, or on tensions in the South China Sea. | Mr Trump also said China was not co-operating with the US on its handling of its currency, on North Korea, or on tensions in the South China Sea. |
| No US president or president-elect had spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades. But in the Fox interview, Mr Trump said it was not up to Beijing to decide whether he should take a call from Taiwan's leader. | |
| "I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me," Mr Trump said. "It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call? | "I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me," Mr Trump said. "It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call? |
| "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it." | "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it." |
| In the same interview, Mr Trump said he "doesn't believe" a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the US presidential election in his favour. | |
| Mr Trump went on to post a series of tweets criticising China for its exchange rate policy and its operations in the South China Sea. | |
| 'Resolute battle' | |
| His comments prompted an angry editorial in state media outlet Global Times, known for its hawkish rhetoric. | |
| Titled "Mr Trump please listen clearly: The One China policy cannot be traded", it labelled Mr Trump's move "a very childish rash act" and said he needed "to humbly learn about diplomacy". | |
| It also called for a strong response, saying: "China must resolutely battle Mr Trump, only after a few serious rebuffs then will he truly understand that China and other global powers cannot be bullied." | |
| China has so far been restrained in its official responses to Mr Trump, choosing instead to stress on the importance of Sino-US ties. | |
| Its foreign ministry has said it would not comment on his tweets, although it has labelled the Trump-Tsai phone call a "petty trick" by Taiwan. | |
| 'Bedrock of Sino-US relations' - By Michael Bristow, BBC China analyst | 'Bedrock of Sino-US relations' - By Michael Bristow, BBC China analyst |
| For China, it is difficult to think of a more important issue in its relations with other countries than the One China policy. | For China, it is difficult to think of a more important issue in its relations with other countries than the One China policy. |
| Beijing considers Taiwan part of its own territory - and insists that all its diplomatic partners publicly share this view. | Beijing considers Taiwan part of its own territory - and insists that all its diplomatic partners publicly share this view. |
| Former US President Jimmy Carter had to cut official ties with Taiwan before he could open an embassy in Beijing in 1979. | Former US President Jimmy Carter had to cut official ties with Taiwan before he could open an embassy in Beijing in 1979. |
| The policy has been the bedrock of Sino-American relations ever since. | The policy has been the bedrock of Sino-American relations ever since. |
| Mr Trump suggested the One China agreement could be used as a kind of bargaining chip in negotiations on other issues, such as trade. But it is hard to image the circumstances in which that might be acceptable in Beijing. | Mr Trump suggested the One China agreement could be used as a kind of bargaining chip in negotiations on other issues, such as trade. But it is hard to image the circumstances in which that might be acceptable in Beijing. |
| China recently played down a telephone call between Mr Trump and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. | China recently played down a telephone call between Mr Trump and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. |
| But it will become increasingly alarmed if the US president-elect continues to suggest American policy towards China is about to change. | But it will become increasingly alarmed if the US president-elect continues to suggest American policy towards China is about to change. |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| What's behind the China-Taiwan divide? | What's behind the China-Taiwan divide? |