Story highlights Beijing's initial response has been low-key

US and China relations have been fraught

Zhang Baohui is Professor of Political Science and Director of Centre for Asian Pacific Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. He is the author of China's Assertive Nuclear Posture: State Security in an Anarchic International Order (Routledge 2015). The opinions expressed here are solely his.

Hong Kong (CNN) US President-elect Donald Trump shocked many by his admission on Twitter that he had talked to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.

The telephone exchange between the two breaks a long-standing tradition that had governed US-Taiwan relations for many decades and raised legitimate speculation about its implications for the future of China-US and Taiwan-US relations.

This phone call may not necessarily imply significant changes in the above relations under a Trump presidency.

According to Trump's Twitter message, it was Tsai who initiated the phone call. In fact, his message highlighted the fact by capitalizing Tsai "CALLED ME" to offer her congratulations.

Trump could be signaling to the world that people should not read too much into this telephone call. The audience of his message could include Beijing.

The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016