Donald Trump hits out at China on Twitter

At first glance it may have seemed like a routine call between world leaders as Trump prepares to transition into the White House.

China’s reaction to Trump’s call with Tsai was relatively low-key given the sensitivity China places on Taiwan.

The President-elect has shown no signs of a conciliatory approach, after a phone conversation with Taiwan’s president raised protests in Beijing.

Trump appears to be pushing back against critics, who say his shoot-from-the-hip diplomatic style risks a confrontation with China.

It is worth noting that these phone calls have breached the US protocol during the administration’s interim stage because they have neglected the Secretary of State’s role. The country’s national newspaper, the China Daily, said in an editorial that the conversation with Tsai “exposed nothing but the inexperience Trump and his transition team have in dealing with foreign affairs”.

Neither explanation is particularly comforting. American policy acknowledges the Chinese view that it has sovereignty over Taiwan, yet the US considers Taiwan’s status as unsettled.

Many people in Taiwan today remain distrustful of Beijing while others are keen to explore warmer relations, especially when it comes to trade opportunities.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of global relations at People’s University in Beijing, predicted China would not lash out immediately, but calibrate its response over the next several months after Trump enters the White House.

On Sunday, US President-elect Donald Trump criticized China’s trade and military policy on his Twitter account, informs AFP. “Chinese people are used to the West dictating global language and culture, so to see the granddaughter of the US president-elect reciting Chinese poetry in fluent Mandarin makes a lot of Chinese people feel good and proud of their country”.

Trump responded to an official complaint from China, as well criticism inside the US government, for the unauthorized call, asking if China has asked the United States for permission before some of the actions it has taken – rattling many in the foreign policy community.

Trump knows well how to separate the symbolic and the substantial meanings of the congratulatory phone call, said Yates, current chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, who is scheduled to visit Taiwan this week to meet with business clients.

The US has previously criticised China’s yuan devaluation, saying it unfairly favours Chinese exporters.

Addressing the issue, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi stated the “one China” policy was crucial to prosperous US-Sino relations. “Once the call was scheduled, I was told that there was a briefing for President-Elect Trump”.

Washington and Beijing have also cooperated on the multilateral agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program and on climate change, areas that Trump has said he wants to revisit to get a better deal for the U.S.

Moore is an economic adviser to Trump. “[Taiwan] is a country that we have backed because they believe in freedom. China will not take it lightly”, the paper said.

The foreign policy establishment and their media buddies were even more apoplectic than Beijing. Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich echoed Moore’s statement during an interview with Fox & Friends.

Chinese farm products pay 4.4% and other goods 3.6% when coming into the United States. “They are not going to be able to intimidate us”, the former Speaker of the House said.

But the timing of the Post report is suspect.

Breaking 40 years of diplomatic protocol, US President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen on December 2.

Trump and Pence have had more than 50 phone calls with foreign leaders. “Everybody should just calm down”.