China vs Trump

And they're off.

China has lodged “solemn representations” with the US over a call between the president-elect, Donald Trump, and Taiwan’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen.

[...]

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said in a statement on Saturday: “It must be pointed out that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. The government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China.”

[...]

The statement did not describe the details of China’s complaint to the US, or say with whom it had been lodged.

It said China urged “the relevant US side” – implying Trump’s incoming administration – to handle Taiwan-related issues “cautiously and properly” to avoid “unnecessary interference” in the China-US relationship.

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China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, sought to play down the importance of the telephone conversation, dismissing it as a “petty action”.

  Guardian

I'm not sure "petty action" is playing anything down.

The Global Times, a government-controlled tabloid which sometimes echoes official views, took a harder line, using an editorial to warn Trump that he should think twice before destroying US-China relations by further engaging with Taiwan’s government.

“If Trump wants to overstep the One China principle, he will destroy Sino-US ties,” the newspaper warned.

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The Global Times blamed the fact that Trump “was not familiar with foreign relations” for his decision to hold a conversation with Tsai – the first such contact between leaders of Taiwan and the US in almost 40 years.

However, China experts believe Trump’s unexpected decision to engage with Tsai was the result of advice from several influential advisers who are known for their hardline stances on China policy.

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

Next time he talks to a foreign leader before his inauguration maybe he should pretend to be John Miller.

Looking forward to the next tweets.

And, by the way, have I mentioned that being president-elect is good for business?

Weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial phone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, a businesswoman claiming to be associated with his conglomerate made inquiries about a major investment in building luxury hotels as part of the island’s new airport development.

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“She said she was associated with the Trump corporation and she would like to propose a possible investment project in the future, especially hotels,” said an official familiar with the project, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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[The businesswoman] claimed at the event on 1 November that Trump’s company was interested in investing in Taiwan and that his son, Eric, would visit the island before the end of the year.

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Although the president-elect has confirmed he will leave his conglomerate once he takes office, the decision to turn over the business to his children has raised fears that the family’s financial ties with foreign players could shade US policy.

  Guardian

You think?