US President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of 'one China,' questioning nearly four decades of policy in a move likely to antagonize Beijing. Trump's comments on 'Fox News Sunday' came after he prompted a diplomatic protest from China over his decision to accept a telephone call on Dec. 2 from Taiwan's president. 'I fully understand the 'one China' policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,' Trump told Fox. Trump's call with President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of 'one China.' Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and the subject is a sensitive one for China.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)