Stephen Lam / ReutersSHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has shown restraint in the face of provocations by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump over Taiwan, but if he continues after assuming office Beijing will “take off the gloves”, an official Chinese state-run newspaper said on Monday. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published late on Friday, Trump said the “One China” policy was up for negotiation. “If Trump is determined to use this gambit in taking office, a period of fierce, damaging interactions will be unavoidable, as Beijing will have no choice but to take off the gloves,” the English-language China Daily said. The United States, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, has acknowledged the Chinese position that there is only “one China” and that Taiwan is part of it. But China should not count on the assumption that Trump’s Taiwan moves are “a pre-inauguration bluff, and instead be prepared for him to continue backing his bet”.

Source: Huffington Post January 16, 2017 01:10 UTC