China on Saturday raised a complaint with the U.S. over President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwan’s president a day earlier.
“We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to CNN.
{mosads}The U.S. has since 1979 acknowledged China’s claim on Taiwan and not had any diplomatic relations with the island. The arrangement is known as the “one China” policy.
Trump on Friday broke decades of U.S. protocol with his phone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Trump later tweeted that Tsai initiated the call.
“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,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.
“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.”
Asked earlier Saturday about the call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi placed the blame on Taiwan, calling it a “shenanigan by the Taiwan side.”
“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 added.
On the call, the Taiwanese leader “offered her congratulations” to Trump and the two leaders “noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States,” according to a statement from Trump’s team.
Tsai’s office said in its statement that the pair spoke for about 10 minutes and also discussed the regional issues.
It’s not clear how the call between Trump and Tsai came about. But the Taipei Times appeared to contradict Trump, reporting that Trump’s staff organized the call.
Shanghaiist reported last month that Trump was eyeing a major real estate project in Taiwan that would involve the construction of several luxury hotels and resorts.