Washington told to keep promises

Official: Trump expected to respect one-China principle

China called on the new US administration to stick to the one-China principle and strictly limit its relationship with Taiwan to the nonofficial level, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday.

She made the remarks at a regular news conference when asked about China’s expectations of the government led by Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as president on Friday. President Xi Jinping sent Trump a congratulatory message.

Every US administration should follow the commitment made by both the Republicans and Democrats to stick to the one-China policy, she said, adding that it is the foundation for the Sino US relationship.

China established channels to maintain communications with Trump’s team after he won the election, she said.

In a 1978 joint communiqué, the US said that it recognized the one-China policy — that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China, and the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China.

In his inaugural speech, Trump did not mention China directly. Last month, however, he challenged the one China principle by answering a congratulatory call from Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen.

China and the United States should respect each other’s core interests and handle disputes in a proper manner, Hua said, adding that China’s stance on its sovereignty issues is clear. She called on both sides to deal with economic and trade frictions prudently since “trade war and confrontation will result in no winners”.

Teng Jianqun, a senior researcher in US studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the Foreign Ministry’s remarks constitute a message to the new US president that China’s core interests should not be challenged. “Washington should keep the promises it made and abide by established policies,” he said.

Beijing also expressed its hope of maintaining the current stability in the China-US relationship under the Trump administration, he added.

Fu Mengzi, a Sino-US relations researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said the “America first” policy espoused by Trump cannot be accomplished without the assistance of other countries, including China.

“All countries are closely connected within the context of globalization. Every single country that wants to develop, change or prosper will need help from other countries,” he said.