China warns off ‘rookie’ Trump
‘HE’LL LEARN NOT TO CROSS BEIJING’
Donald Trump is a “diplomatic rookie” who must learn not to cross Beijing on issues like trade and Taiwan, Chinese state media said yesterday, warning America could pay dearly for his naivety.
Trump’s protocol-shattering call with Taiwan’s president and a subsequent Twitter tirade against Beijing’s policies could risk upending the delicate balance between the world’s two largest economies, major media outlets said. “Provoking friction and messing up China-US relations won’t help ‘make America great again’,” said a front-page opinion piece in the overseas edition of Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily. The nationalist Global Times newspaper’s Chinese edition also ran a page-one story on Trump’s “inability to keep his mouth shut”, damning his “provocation and falsehoods”.
Trump fired off two tweets on Sunday blasting China for devaluing its currency, taxing US imports, and building military installations in the South China Sea. The comments followed criticism of Trump in US and Chinese media for taking a congratulatory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a move that raised questions about whether the president-elect intends to pursue a hard line against Beijing.
Official reaction from Beijing has been muted, but China often uses state media to telegraph its policy positions. The Global Times’ English-language edition, which has close ties to the ruling party, filled its opinion pages with editorials slamming the president-elect. “He is trying to pillage other countries for US prosperity,” it warned. A companion commentary warned Trump “will in time learn not to cross China”.
During the presidential campaign, Trump frequently targeted China for fiscal and trade policies that he claimed cost the US millions of jobs. Initial signs suggest he will continue to take an aggressive line on China.
Trump’s decision to speak with Taiwan’s president has particularly rattled Beijing. “This call was no accident,” said Trey McArver, analyst for China Politics Weekly. “It is clear Trump associates, including chief of staff Reince Priebus, have had repeated contact with Tsai and her people in recent months and were well aware of what they were doing.” – AFP