By Gavin Mackintosh-
Beijing China has expressed serious concern after President-elect Donald Trump questioned whether the United States should keep its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of “one China.”
Beijing is seriously concerned about Donald Trump, after he signalled a high propensity to confront Beijing. Trump latest comments came in an interview with Fox News, after he suggested he won’t hesitate to incense China until the country comes to the bargaining table on trade and North Korea.
That position from Donald Trump has annoyed China who view it as a potentially ominous sign of a hostile relationship in the making. They will not compromise on their position.
China was unequivocal in its response to the President elect’s views. Yielding to U.S demands will not even be considered if Trump doesn’t adhere to the ‘one China’ policy which has been central to bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in the 1970s.
“I want to stress that the Taiwan question has a bearing on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said.
“Adhering to the ‘one China’ principle is the political bedrock for the development US-China relations. If it is comprised or disrupted, the sound and steady growth of the bilateral relationship, as well as bilateral cooperation in major fields would be out of question.”
Trump Described As Child
The Global Times Newspaper in China was quick to describe President-elect Trump as a “child”, ignorant of foreign policy and ruled out negotiations on the “one China” issue.
“The ‘one China’ policy cannot be bought and sold, Trump, it seems, only understands business and believes that everything has a price and that if he is strong enough he can buy and sell by force,” it said. The editorial claimed that Trump is susceptible to the views of hardliners around him because of his lack of hands-on experience.
The newspaper editorial added that if Trump ditched the “one China” policy, it would spark “a real crisis.”
President Elect Trump’s Customary Tweets
President- elect Trump then used his customary habit of using tweets to spread his thoughts faster than the time it takes reporters to discover them. He slammed China in a series of tweets, criticising China’s currency policy and its military posturing in the South China. President-elect Trump has been criticised without end for his tendency to tweet without restraint; his wife even once openly admitting that she cannot get him to stop. That
On Sunday, the President-elect Trump told Fox news “I fully understand the ‘one China’ policy, but 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,” Trump said on “Fox News Sunday.”
He suggested that the policy could be a bargaining chip over North Korea — China is the country’s only major ally.
“I mean, look, we’re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don’t tax them, with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn’t be doing, and frankly with not helping us at all with North Korea,” Trump said.
“You have North Korea. You have nuclear weapons, and China could solve that problem, and they’re not helping us at all.”
There are concerns among analysts that president-elect Trump’s stance has the potential of spiralling out of control, potentially leading to a military confrontation. with China at some point.
Much will depend on the legitimacy of the issues he raises and the degree to which he is prepared to respond to identified flaws in his views or ideologies. He has his own advisers but must be open to wider advice in order not to fall victim to flawed advice riddled with errors.