Donald Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE said the U.S. shouldn't necessarily "be bound by a One China policy" in his first Sunday show interview as president-elect, adding that he doesn't want China telling him what to do.

When pressed about his call with Taiwan — which broke decades of diplomatic protocol — by host Christ Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," Trump said, "I think it actually would've been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking" the call.

"I heard the call was coming probably an hour or two before. 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 Wallace. "I mean, look, we're being hurt very badly by China with devaluation, with taxing us heavy at the borders when we don't tax them, with building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn't be doing, and frankly with not helping us at all with North Korea."

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Trump implied Sunday he would not hesitate to push China until it works on trade and its ties with North Korea.

"I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me. I didn't make the call, and it was a call, very short call saying congratulations, sir, on the victory. It was a very nice call. Short," Trump added.

"And why should some other nation be able to say I can't take a call?"

Trump received criticism for accepting a call from the leader of Taiwan, which some political observers said broke from the One China policy that refuses to acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

President Jimmy Carter formally declared the People's Republic of China the sole government of China in 1979, which ended formal U.S. diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Beijing refuses to recognize any country that has formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province.