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Teddy Ng

Wei Qi

Beijing hit back at US president-elect Donald Trump on the weekend, saying the one-China principle is non-negotiable.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said late on Saturday that the one-China principle was the political foundation for Sino-US ties.“It’s not negotiable. We urge relevant parties in the United States to recognise the high sensitivity of Taiwan issues, and to stick to the promise made by both political parties in the US over the years,” he said.

Lu called on the US to properly handle Taiwan issues to ensure cooperation and the stable development of relations between ­Beijing and Washington.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Trump said that until he saw progress from Beijing on its currency and trade practices, he would not commit to the US agreement with Beijing of not recognising Taiwan diplomatically, a policy known as “one China”.
For Trump, one China, like everything, is negotiable
It is not the first time Trump has challenged the policy – he questioned its validity following a phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen soon after his election. At that time, Beijing warned that there would be no grounds for Sino-US cooperation without the one-China principle.


Zhang Baohui, a security specialist at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, said Trump would not really want to escalate tensions with Beijing, but China did not have much leverage over the incoming US president.
“Trump has been very smart. He is using the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip with China,” Zhang said. “Trump has a relatively simple agenda. He cares only about the domestic economy. His issue is to create jobs. He believes that sorting out the trade ­issues with China can help him to create jobs inside the US.”
Zhang said China might give some trade concessions to the US and invest in US infrastructure.
“It’s more of a bargaining technique at the moment. It doesn’t feel likely Trump would want to escalate the situation,” he said.
Zhao Hai, from Tsinghua University’s National Strategy ­Institute, said Trump would “challenge all sorts of fundamental understandings and principles between China and the US”. “He will pressure China from all perspectives,” Zhao said. “But I don’t think [China] needs to retaliate against what he says or what he tweets. I don’t think his tough tone on China will go anywhere.”
Zhao said the US and China had to cooperate on issues in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, which would give Beijing leverage over the US


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Beijing hits back at Trump: one-China principle is non-negotiable

China's Foreign Ministry has told President-elect Donald Trump that the one-China principle is non-negotiable. Photo: AP

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang (Handout)

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(150923) -- SEATTLE, Sept. 23, 2015 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) chats with a Boeing employee aboard a 787 plane which will soon be delivered to China's Xiamen Airlines during his visit to the Boeing Company's commercial airplane factory in Everett of Washington State, the United States, Sept. 23, 2015. (Xinhua/Li Tao) (wf)

Crew members aboard the VOS Raasay recover U.S. and British Royal Navy ocean gliders taking part in the Unmanned Warrior exercise off the northwest coast of Scotland on October 8, 2016. A similar unmanned underwater vehicle was seized by the Chinese Navy in international waters off the coast of the Philippines on December 15, 2016. Courtesy Santiago Carrizosa/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERSATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

FILE - In this July 14, 2016 file photo, a woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of an island in South China Sea on display with Chinese words that read: "South China Sea, our beautiful motherland, we won't let go an inch" in Weifang in east China's Shandong province. A U.S. think tank says recent satellite images appear to show that China has installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its man-made islands in the South China Sea. (Chinatopix via AP, File)

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epa04094574 A handout picture provided by the White House on 22 February 2014 shows US President Barack Obama (R) meeting with the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House, in Washington, DC, USA, 21 February 2014. Obama met with the the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism at the White House, brushing off warnings from China that it would cause 'serious damage' to bilateral ties. The meeting with Obama was the first since July 2011, which also took place against protests from Beijing. The 78-year-old exiled Buddhist monk is in the USA on a speaking tour. EPA/PETE SOUZA / THE WHITE HOUSE / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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Without it, there would be no grounds for Sino-US relations, foreign ministry says


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Beijing hits back at Trump: one-China principle is non-negotiable

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Without it, there would be no grounds for Sino-US relations, foreign ministry says

Without it, there would be no grounds for Sino-US relations, foreign ministry says