China lodged a diplomatic protest on Saturday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, but blamed the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own, for the “petty” move.

The 10-minute telephone call with Taiwan’s leadership was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “one China.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said it had lodged “stern representations” with what it called the “relevant U.S. side,” urging the careful handling of the Taiwan issue to avoid any unnecessary disturbances in ties.

“The one-China principle is the political basis of the China-U.S. relationship,” it said.

The wording implied the protest had gone to the Trump camp, but the ministry provided no explanation.

Speaking earlier, hours after Friday’s telephone call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointedly blamed Taiwan for the exchange, rather than Trump, a billionaire businessman with little foreign policy experience.

“This is just the Taiwan side engaging in a petty action and cannot change the one-China structure already formed by the international community,” Wang said at an academic forum in Beijing, state media reported. “I believe that it won’t change the long-standing one-China policy of the United States government.”

In comments at the same forum, Wang noted how quickly President Xi Jinping and Trump had spoken by telephone after Trump’s victory, and said Trump had praised China as a great country.

Wang said that exchange had sent “a very positive signal about the future development of Sino-U.S. relations,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s website. Taiwan was not mentioned in that call, according to an official Chinese transcript.

Trump said on Twitter that Tsai had initiated the call he had with the Taiwan president. “The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!” he said.

Alex Huang, a spokesman for Tsai, said, “Of course, both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact.”

Trump and Tsai noted that “close economic, political and security ties exist between Taiwan and the United States,” the Trump transition team said in a statement. Taiwan’s presidential office said the two discussed strengthening bilateral interactions and establishing closer cooperation.

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said Saturday that the former president of a conservative American think tank played a “crucial” role that led to the call between Trump and Tsai.

Citing anonymous sources, it said Edwin Feulner, the founder of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, was a “crucial figure” in setting up communication channels between the sides.

Feulner led a delegation from the Heritage Foundation on a trip to Taiwan in October and met with Tsai, according to a release at the time from Taiwan’s presidential office.

That release says Tsai called Feulner a “long-time friend to Taiwan” and conveyed her gratitude to his foundation for its support.

China considers Taiwan a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Relations between the two sides have worsened since Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, was elected president in January.

Chinese state media downplayed the possibility of a major blow-up in Beijing’s relations with Washington as Trump prepares to assume office.

An influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, said in an online editorial that if Trump really overturned the one-China principle upon assuming office, it would create such a crisis with China that he would have little time to do anything else. “We believe this is not something the shrewd Trump wants to do.”

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Trump needed to know Beijing can be a “cooperative partner” as long as Washington respects China’s core interests, including the issue of Taiwan.

“China and the United States are not destined rivals,” it said in an English-language commentary.

Washington remains Taiwan’s most important political ally and sole arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the irony of which was not lost on Trump.

“Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call,” Trump said in another tweet.

Trump has eschewed tradition in other calls with foreign leaders since he won the U.S. election, prompting the White House to encourage him to make use of the diplomatic expertise and counsel of the State Department.

The White House said after Trump’s call that “long-standing policy” on China and Taiwan had not changed.

“We remain firmly committed to our one-China policy,” said Ned Price, a national security spokesman for President Barack Obama. “Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations.”

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said on CNN that Trump was “well aware of what U.S. policy has been” on Taiwan.

Administration officials said Trump’s team did not alert the White House about the call ahead of time.

Advisers to the Republican president-elect have indicated that he is likely to take a more robust policy toward China than Obama, a Democrat, and that Trump plans to boost the U.S. military in part in response to China’s increasing power in Asia. However, details of his plans remain scant.

Trump lambasted China throughout the U.S. election campaign, drumming up headlines with pledges to slap 45 percent tariffs on imported Chinese goods and label the country a currency manipulator on his first day in office.

Earlier in the week, Trump spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and praised him, according to the Pakistani leader’s office, as a “terrific guy.”

Islamabad and Washington have seen relations sour in recent years over U.S. accusations that Pakistan shelters Islamist militants who kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a charge denied by the South Asian nation.

Trump also invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during what a Duterte aide said was a “very engaging, animated” phone conversation. Duterte has openly insulted Obama, who cancelled a planned meeting with him in September.

A statement issued by Trump’s transition team made no mention of the invitation. </s> TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — With a 10-minute phone call and two tweets, Donald Trump inspired banner headlines and renewed hopes across Taiwan for a stronger partnership with the United States, while also inflaming the complex relationships between the U.S., mainland China, and the self-governing island China regards as a renegade province.

Whether the U.S. president-elect meant to jump into the generational fight between China and Taiwan remains an open question. But by speaking to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Trump upended four decades of American foreign policy and engaged China directly on the issue of Taiwan, which Beijing has threatened to reclaim by force if necessary. No American president or president-elect has publicly spoken to Taiwan’s leader since the U.S. ended their formal diplomatic relationship in 1979.

Four of his words drew particular attention in Taiwanese newspapers: Trump’s reference, in a follow-up tweet, to Tsai being “the President of Taiwan.”

The phrase is far from benign for China, which regards any reference to a Taiwanese president as an unacceptable acknowledgement of Taiwan’s statehood. Official Chinese pronouncements typically refer to the Taiwanese president as “the Taiwan regional leader.”

Chinese leaders have indicated they dislike Tsai, who was elected in January from a pro-Taiwan independence party and became the island’s first female president. An editorial from the state-run China Daily newspaper admonished Tsai and said the call would “bring nothing substantial but illusionary pride.”

As for Trump, the newspaper said the incident “came as a striking move,” but was not as important as “it seems to be.”

Taiwanese are generally considered to support independence or the status quo, in which China and Taiwan maintain robust social and economic exchanges while the island retains its democracy and de facto independence, over unification with China. Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, has warned that the issue of unification cannot be put off indefinitely.

Yang Chih-kai, a 22-year-old university student at Taiwan’s Tamkang University, said Saturday that the call raised Taiwanese hopes for a stronger relationship with the United States.

“People will think that the U.S. will keep on helping Taiwan protect itself against China’s threat,” Yang said.

Chen Chun-hao, a 43-year-old designer, said Trump might “bring more help” to Taiwan now that both sides had opened a dialogue.

“I believe that this could help Taiwan in its international status and its global situation,” Chen said.

Kao-cheng Wang, dean of Tamkang University’s college of international studies, said he believes Trump might increase American military exports to Taiwan, over Beijing’s vociferous opposition, and try to strengthen economic ties between the two sides.

“Trump will not be restricted by the established foreign policy,” Wang said. “The diplomatic policy may be flexible after he takes office.”

China cut off diplomatic contact with Taiwan in June, one month after Tsai took office, accusing her of refusing to endorse the concept that Taiwan is a part of China. Last month, Xi met with Taiwan’s opposition leader, Nationalist Party Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu.

Zhou Qinfen, a retiree from China’s eastern Jiangsu province visiting Beijing on Sunday, echoed several other Chinese interviewed who said they consider Taiwan to be an inextricable part of China.

“If an American president who has only been recently elected starts opposing the unity of China, the people of China will never agree with that,” she said.

The Taiwanese presidential office said Trump and Tsai discussed issues affecting Asia and the future of U.S. relations with Taiwan. Tsai also told Trump that she hoped the U.S. would support Taiwan in its participation in international affairs, the office said, in an apparent reference to China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan from global institutions such as the United Nations.

Taiwan’s presidential office spokesman Alex Huang said separately that Taiwan’s relations with China and “healthy” Taiwan-U.S. relations can proceed in parallel. “There is no conflict (in that),” he told reporters in Taipei on Saturday.

After Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed Taiwanese leaders Saturday for playing a “small trick,” China said it would issue a diplomatic complaint with Washington.

That is likely only the beginning of China’s response, said Douglas Paal, a former director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which unofficially represents U.S. interests in Taipei.

Wang’s comment “is intended to give time for Trump to back away from or desist from moves to elevate treatment of Taiwan,” said Paal, now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “China will watch carefully to see what he does. But Taiwan will be seen as in need of some form of punishment.”

One potential move for China is to apply new pressure to the 22 states that have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, Paal said. Most of the world and the United Nations already recognize Beijing as the official government of China.

What happens next will hinge on whether the call is seen as a “complicated accident” or an intentional signal of new policy, Paal said.

“Beijing will watch closely to see which it is,” he said. “But until someone from Trump Tower explains further, it is unknowable.”

Merchant reported from Beijing. Associated Press journalist Isolda Morillo and news researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report. </s> Image copyright AP Image caption Donald Trump's team said he "congratulated" Tsai Ing-wen on becoming president of Taiwan in January

China's foreign ministry says it has lodged a complaint with the US after President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Taiwan's leader in a phone call.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province. US policy set in 1979 cut formal relations with Taiwan.

Mr Trump's transition team said he and Tsai Ing-wen noted "close economic, political, and security ties".

The US is Taiwan's most important ally and provides Taiwan with sufficient weaponry to defend itself.

China said it had lodged a "solemn representation" with Washington.

According to the state news agency Xinhua, China urged the US "to cautiously, properly handle Taiwan issue to avoid unnecessary disturbance to Sino-US relations".

Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the call as a "petty trick" by Taiwan, Chinese state media said.

What happened?

Mr Trump tweeted on Friday that Ms Tsai had called him to congratulate him on winning the US election.

His team said that the US president-elect had also congratulated Ms Tsai on becoming the president of Taiwan last January.

No US president or president-elect has spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades.

Following media reports pointing out the risks of angering China, Mr Trump tweeted: "Interesting how the US sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

The White House has said Mr Trump's conversation does not signal any change in US policy. US media reported that the White House learned of the call only after it had happened.

Mr Trump's spokeswoman said he was "well aware" of US policy towards Taiwan.

Read more: What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?

What is the problem?

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption China is closely watching Mr Trump's transition to president

The split between China and Taiwan goes back to 1949, when the Republic of China (ROC) Kuomintang (KMT) government fled the mainland to Taiwan after being defeated by the communists under Mao Zedong. The KMT held China's seat on the UN Security Council and was, for a while, recognised by many Western nations as the only Chinese government.

But in 1971, the UN switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Only a handful of countries now recognise Taiwan's government.

Washington cut formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, expressing its support for Beijing's "one country, two systems" concept, which states that Taiwan is part of China.

But despite the cut, the US remains, by far, Taiwan's most important friend, and its only ally.

The Taiwan Relations Act promises to supply Taiwan with defensive weapons. It says that any attack by China on Taiwan would be considered of "grave concern" to the US.

China has hundreds of missiles pointing towards Taiwan, and has threatened to use force if it formally declares independence.

President Tsai, Taiwan's first female leader, led the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to a landslide victory in the January 2016 election.

The DPP has traditionally leaned towards independence from China. President Tsai's administration does not accept the "One China" policy.

Read more: Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's shy but steely leader

From concern to alarm and anger - Carrie Gracie, BBC China editor, Beijing

Image copyright Reuters Image caption In an image released by her office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is seen speaking on the phone to Mr Trump

Mr Trump's decision to turn his back on four decades of US protocol on Taiwan and speak directly to a president of Taiwan has stunned policymakers in Beijing.

Since his election last month, they have struggled to understand who is advising Donald Trump on Asia and what his China policy will look like.

This move will turn concern into alarm and anger.

Beijing sees Taiwan as a province. Denying it any of the trappings of an independent state is one of the key priorities of Chinese foreign policy.

Read more from Carrie: The Trump phone call that will stun Beijing

Mild reaction - Cindy Sui, BBC, Taipei

China's reaction is relatively mild. It doesn't want to get off on the wrong foot with Mr Trump. And it sees Mr Trump as an inexperienced politician, so for now it's willing to forgive him and not play this up.

It may also be somewhat reassured by statements from the US that its policy on China and Taiwan has not changed. But behind the scenes it's safe to say China is working hard to "educate" the Trump team on not repeating such diplomatic faux pas.

This move by Taiwan's President Tsai will further infuriate Beijing and make it distrust her even more and see her as favouring Taiwan's formal independence from China. </s> Trump's conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen drew an irritated, although understated, response from China, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday that the contact was "just a small trick by Taiwan" that he believed would not change U.S. policy toward China, according to Hong Kong's Phoenix TV.

"The one-China policy is the cornerstone of the healthy development of China-U.S. relations and we hope this political foundation will not be interfered with or damaged," Wang was quoted as saying. Chinese officials said they lodged a complaint with the U.S. and reiterated a commitment to seeking "reunification" with the island, which they consider a renegade province.

After the phone conversation Friday, Trump tweeted that Tsai "CALLED ME." He also groused about the reaction to the call: "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

The U.S. shifted diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979. But the governments in Washington and Taipei have maintained close unofficial ties and deep economic and relations. The U.S. is required by law to provide Taiwan with weapons to maintain its .

The call was the starkest example yet of how Trump has flouted diplomatic conventions since he won the Nov. 8 election. He has apparently undertaken calls with foreign leaders without guidance customarily given by the State Department, which oversees U.S. diplomacy.

"President-elect Trump is just shooting from the hip, trying to take phone calls of congratulatory messages from leaders around the world without consideration for the implications," said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Over the decades, the status of Taiwan has been one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken by force, if necessary, if it seeks independence. It would regard any recognition of a Taiwanese leader as a head of state as unacceptable. Taiwanese newspapers ran banner headlines Sunday about the call, and two noted on their front pages Sunday that Trump referred to Tsai as "the president of Taiwan," a formulation that would be a huge shift in American policy and infuriate China.

But Douglas Paal, a former director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which unofficially represents U.S. interests in Taipei, said it was too soon to judge whether Trump was going to lead that shift, or if the incident was just a "complicated accident."

"Beijing will watch closely to see which it is," said Paal, now for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "But until someone from Trump Tower explains further, it is unknowable."

The Taiwanese presidential office said Trump and Tsai discussed issues affecting Asia and the future of U.S. relations with Taiwan. "The (Taiwanese) president is looking forward to strengthening bilateral interactions and contacts as well as setting up closer relations," the statement said.

Tsai also told Trump that she hoped the U.S. would support Taiwan in its participation in international affairs, the office said, in an apparent reference to China's efforts to isolate Taiwan from global institutions such as the United Nations.

"It must be pointed out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory," Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesman, said in a statement. "The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China." </s> (CNN) China's foreign ministry said Saturday it has lodged a complaint with the United States over a controversial phone call between President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan's President that has overturned decades of diplomatic protocol.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and, since 1979, the US has acknowledged Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of China, with US-China relations governed by a set of protocols known as the "one China" policy.

This means there are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan -- so Trump's decision to take Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's call could risk a major upset

"We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States," said a statement Saturday from China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

"I must point out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory ... The 'one China' principle is the political foundation of China-US relations.

"We urge the relevant side in the US to adhere to the 'one China' policy, abide by the pledges in the three joint China-US communiques, and handle issues related to Taiwan carefully and properly to avoid causing unnecessary interference to the overall China-U.S. relationship."

Earlier Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi labeled the phone call "a shenanigan by the Taiwan side" when he was asked about it on the sidelines of a foreign policy seminar.

"The 'one China' policy is the cornerstone of a healthy China-U.S. relationship. I hope this political foundation won't be disrupted or damaged," he said.

First time in decades

Trump's transition team said Friday that the President-elect had chatted with Tsai, who passed along her congratulations.

"During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties (existing) between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year."

The chat marks the first publicly reported call between a US President or President-elect and the leader of Taiwan since Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

It is perhaps the first major sign of the unpredictability that Trump has vowed to bring to long-held US relations with the rest of the world.

The call, first reported by the Financial Times, risks throwing US-China relations into a tailspin before Trump takes the oath of office January 20.

And it has prompted questions over whether Trump intends a shift in US policy, or if this was a blunder by a team with limited experience of international affairs.

Trump emphasized Friday night that Taipei initiated the call.

"The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!" tweeted the President-elect.

The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

He soon followed up by tweeting, "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

Taiwan's President published a statement Friday night about the phone call on an official website, which she described as an "intimate and relaxed conversation" lasting 10 minutes.

The two also shared their views on important policy points, the statement said, according to a translation, "in particular, to promote the domestic economy and strengthen national defense, allowing the people better lives and a guarantee of security. The two briefly exchanged opinions on the situation in the Asia region."

According to Taiwan's Presidential spokesman Alex Huang, Huang told CNN via text message that both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact, but would not give any further details including exactly when they agreed to the call.

Kellyanne Conway, Trump's campaign manager, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360" that she wouldn't go beyond what the transition team statement said. But the President-elect was fully aware of the call's implications, Conway suggested.

"He either will disclose or not disclose the full contents of that conversation but he's well aware of what US policy has been," Conway said.

The Trump Organization is also denying reports that it is considering building luxury hotels in the Taiwanese city of Taoyuan after the city's mayor was quoted last month as saying a representative did visit.

The mayor Cheng Wen-tsan told local media the Trump representative did visit in September and that company was interested in developing there.

"There have been no authorized visits to Taiwan on behalf of Trump Hotels for the purposes of development nor are there any active conversations. Trump Organization is not planning any expansion into Taiwan," a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization Saturday told CNN.

The spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified by name, added that the Trump Organization employee who was there was not part of the development team and was not there for those reasons but for sales purposes for existing Trump hotels.

'No change'

By Friday night, China had already reached out to the Obama administration. White House officials declined to comment on diplomatic discussions.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, said "there is no change to our longstanding policy on cross-Strait issues."

"We remain firmly committed to our 'one China' policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act," he said. "Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations."

A different Obama administration official said there was no contact with either the White House or State Department about the call beforehand.

JUST WATCHED China: The biggest issue for the next US president? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH China: The biggest issue for the next US president? 00:46

Kissinger -- secretary of state from 1973-77 -- is credited with secret diplomacy that helped Nixon open up Communist China to America and the West.

During their Beijing meeting, Kissinger told Xi "that he believes it is the expectation of the U.S. new administration to facilitate sustained, stable and better growth of U.S.-China relations," Xinhua reported.

'Major pivots'

The United States acknowledged China's claim that there is one China and that Taiwan is part of China in a joint communique signed in 1979 at the time of the formal establishment of relations between Washington and Beijing.

Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, publicly blasted Trump for his actions in a series of tweets.

While it will soon be Trump's right to shift policy, alliances and strategy, Murphy said, "what has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That's how wars start."

He added that "if they aren't pivots - just radical temporary deviations - allies will walk if they have no clue what we stand for. Just as bad."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated that Trump transition adviser Stephen Yates was in Taiwan and was involved in facilitating the call. </s> In a stunning move likely to stoke anger in Beijing, Donald Trump on Friday became the first U.S. president or president-elect to speak directly with a leader of Taiwan since diplomatic ties were cut in 1979.

Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen in a telephone call that threw into doubt the U.S. stance on the issue, known as the “one-China” policy, that recognized Beijing as the sole government of China 37 years ago.

Beijing views the island as a recalcitrant province to be reunited, by force if necessary.

“President-elect Trump spoke with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, who offered her congratulations,” the Trump transition team said in a statement Friday. “During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year.”

It was not immediately clear which side initiated the telephone call, one of several Trump has made with world leaders since his election victory, or if it signals a policy shift, but any U.S. move that implied backing for independence would not be taken lightly by China, experts said.

While Washington cut formal ties with the island in 1979, it has maintained friendly, nonofficial relations with Taipei — including weapons sales — as part of its policy of deliberate ambiguity so as to maintain stability in cross-strait relations and deter potential invasion from the mainland. </s> Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen had called U.S. president-elect Donald Trump seeking to strengthen bilateral interaction between the U.S. and Taiwan.

The U.S President-elect Donald Trump signalled a potential rupture in the country’s China policy by holding a telephone conversation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday. He is the first American President or President-elect to talk to a Taiwanese President since 1979, when the U.S cut off diplomatic ties with the island while getting closer to China. Recognising Taiwan as a part of China is a fundamental principle of the U.S – China relations and Mr. Trump’s engagement with the Taiwanese leader drew strong reactions from Beijing.

During the campaign Mr. Trump repeatedly called China a “currency manipulator” and threatened to impose high tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S. He also promised to remain “unpredictable” in international affairs. His engagement with a territory that China considers its own is in sharp contrast with Barack Obama, who in 2009 became the first American President to visit China in the first year in office.

While Mr. Trump stood his ground and defended his decision, the White House said there was no change in the U.S position.

“During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year,” a release from the presidential transition team said on Friday afternoon, setting off alarm bells in many capitals. Mr. Trump then said on twitter: "The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!" When issue began dominating the evening news cycle in America, he tweeted again: "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.” The U.S has sold arms worth $ 12 billion to Taiwan in three decades, though it is not recognised as a sovereign country.

China urged the U.S to “handle issues related to Taiwan” carefully. “We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States. I must point out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory ... The 'one China' principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. We urge the relevant side in the US to adhere to the 'one China' policy, abide by the pledges in the three joint China-US communiques, and handle issues related to Taiwan carefully and properly to avoid causing unnecessary interference to the overall China-U.S. relationship,” said a statement Saturday from China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

Ned Price, spokesman for the US National Security Council said there was no change to “our longstanding policy on cross-Strait issues.” "We remain firmly committed to our 'one China' policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act. Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations," he said in a statement.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump, said the President-elect was well aware of the existing U.S policy, indicating that it is within his power to alter it.

Mr. Obama’s initial warming up to China led some scholars to speculate on the possible emergence of a Group of Two, or G-2 leadership in the world. The President’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy and the push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal increased tensions between the countries subsequently. President Xi Jinping proposed in 2015 a “new type of great power relations,” and now, China is trying to make sense of Mr.Trump’s policy toward it. Henry Kissinger, who reset the U.S relations with China in the 1970s, is also advising Mr. Trump. The 93-old Kissinger was in Beijing this week, meeting the top leadership. “We are now in a key moment. We on the Chinese side are watching the situation very closely,” President Xi said on Friday, appearing with Mr. Kissinger. “Dr. Kissinger, I am all ears to what you have to say about the current world situation and the future growth of China-U.S. relations," he said. What transpired between the Chinese leadership and Mr. Kissinger remains unclear. </s> With a Twitter post Friday evening, the business mogul declared the call was of a congratulatory nature and came directly from President Tsai Ing-wen.

Trump's transition team backed up the President-elect's tweet, adding that "during the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States."

Regardless of the nature of the call, it's an act that bucks normal diplomatic protocol, and in the eyes of critics, could pose a dangerous threat to the United States.

Appearing on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," former US Ambassador Christopher Hill noted just how rare Trump's decision was.

"Eight years during the Reagan administration, this (a call between US and Taiwanese leaders) never happened. Four years during the Bush Senior administration, this never happened. Eight years of Clinton, eight years of George W. Bush and eight years of Obama," said Hill, who served as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs under Bush 43. Donald Trump risks showdown with China after call with Taiwan Trump's conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen marks the first publicly reported call between a U.S. President or President-elect, and a Taiwanese leader, since 1979, and Hill said it represents a scary tendency to act without a proper understanding of diplomacy. "This is a huge mistake...we don't need this." - Ambassador Christopher Hill on #Trump's call w Taiwan's president https://t.co/YRTKy4k7H4 — OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) December 3, 2016 "It was an example of what is all too often happening now with this incoming administration, this tendency to wing it," he told Burnett. "What I'm concerned about is that rather than acknowledge a mistake, they will double down on it." Still more than a month away from Trump's inauguration, Hill said he believes the nation is likely to be subjected to a wide swath of future instances of rash decision-making. "This is not going to be the last of these kind of things. So, things need to get cleaned up and cleaned up in a hurry in Washington," said Hill. In 1979, the United States acknowledged a set of of protocols formally known as the "One China Policy," a belief system that features Taiwan as part of China. There exists rampant concern that Trump's call with Taiwan will enrage China, and fracture relations between the nations. By Friday night, China had already reached out to the Obama administration. White House officials declined to comment on diplomatic discussions. </s> BEIJING | China’s foreign minister warned that any moves to damage Beijing’s core interests would be self-detrimental after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he could use the way in which America deals with Taiwan as a bargaining chip.

Wang Yi’s comments late Monday came a day after Trump said in a television interview that he didn’t feel “bound by a one-China policy.” Washington, however, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to the policy that means it maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its territory.

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.

“I can clearly say, whether it is the authorities of Tsai Ing-wen, or anyone else or any power in the world, if they attempt to harm this principle or China’s core interests, the only result will be that they will smash their own foot while trying to lift a stone,” Wang said after meeting with his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter in Switzerland.

Earlier Monday, Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said in Beijing 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.

The comments by Wang and Geng 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, 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.

Over the weekend, Trump 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.”

“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.”

In Washington, the White House and State Department both reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to a one-China policy.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said “the United States government, under the leadership of President Obama, has been and remains firmly committed to our one-China policy.” He added that “the Obama administration does not view Taiwan and our relationship with Taiwan as a bargaining chip.”

State Department spokesman John Kirby the department had “continued what has been a bipartisan approach for the past 40 years with respect to a one-China policy.”

Chinese officials have been restrained in their responses 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 writers Louise Watt in Beijing and Matthew Pennington in Washington and AP researchers Yu Bing and Liu Zheng contributed to this report.
The People's Republic of China lodges a complaint with the United States after President-elect of the United States Donald Trump speaks with President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen. The PRC and the United States view Taiwan as a breakaway province.