Beijing - China expressed "serious
concern" on Monday after US President-elect Donald Trump said
the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its
long-held stance that Taiwan is part of "one China", calling it
the basis for relations.
Trump's comments on "Fox News Sunday", questioning nearly
four decades of US policy, came after he prompted a diplomatic
protest from China over his decision to accept a telephone call
from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on December 2.
China's Foreign Ministry said cooperation was "out of the
question" if Washington could not recognise Beijing's core
interest on Taiwan, indicating it would reject any effort by
Trump to use the issue as a bargaining chip in a long list of
commercial and security problems facing the two countries.
"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," said ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.
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"Upholding the 'one China' principle is the political basis
for developing China-US ties. If this basis is interfered with
or damaged then the healthy development of China-US relations
and bilateral cooperation in important areas is out of the
question," Geng told a daily news briefing.
Geng said China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi, who outranks the
foreign minister, had met with Trump advisers, including his
pick for national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant
General Michael Flynn, during a transit in New York on his way
to Latin America in recent days.
"Both sides exchanged views on China-US ties and important
issues both are concerned with," Geng said, without elaborating.
He did not give a precise date for the meeting, and it was
unclear if it occurred before or after Trump's latest remarks on
Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province.
Geng urged the incoming Trump administration to fully
recognise the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and uphold a 'one
China' policy to "avoid the broader picture of China-U.S. ties
being seriously interfered with or damaged".
"The China-US relationship has global and strategic
significance. This not only concerns the happiness of both
countries and their people, it concerns the peace, stability,
development and prosperity of the Asia Pacific (region) and
internationally."