Following Trump's Friday night interview with the WSJ, in which the president-elect suggested he would use any available leverage to realign the U.S.’s relationship with its two biggest global strategic rivals, China and Russia, Beijing responded promptly when China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that its "One China" principle was the non-negotiable political basis for China-U.S. relations, and urged all "relevant parties" in the United States to recognize the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue.

“The one-China principle, which is the political foundation of the China-U.S. relations, is non-negotiable,” China's foreign ministry said in a statement on its foreign ministry website.

The statement was address to "relevant parties" in the US, by which Beijing meant Donald Trump.

“In order to avoid disruption to the sound and steady development of the China-U.S. relations and bilateral cooperation in key areas, we urge relevant parties in the U.S. to fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Taiwan question, approach Taiwan-related issues with prudence and honor the commitment made by all previous U.S. administrations of both parties on adhering to the one-China policy and the principles of the three joint communiques”

The comments, posted on the foreign ministry's website, were a direct response to remarks by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in which he said the "One China" policy was negotiable, although he also conceded that he would not label China of being a currency manipulator "on day one", as he had stated previously.



Since 1979, the United States has acknowledged Taiwan as part of "one China", but Trump prompted a diplomatic protest from Beijing by accepting a congratulatory phone call on his election win from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on Dec. 2.