Trump speaks directly with Taiwan's leader, irking China

            GILLIAN WONG and JOHNSON LAI,Associated Press             2 hours 27 minutes ago                      

BEIJING (AP) — In a break with decadeslong diplomatic  tradition, President-elect Donald Trump spoke directly with the  president of Taiwan, a move that drew an irritated response from China  on Saturday and looked set to cast uncertainty over U.S. policy toward  Asia.

It is perhaps unprecedented for a U.S. president or  president-elect to speak directly with a leader of Taiwan, a  self-governing island the U.S. broke diplomatic ties with in 1979. China  said it lodged a stern complaint with the U.S. and reiterated its  commitment to seeking "reunification" with the self-governed democratic  island, which it considers a renegade province.

In initial comments apparently meant to downplay the  significance of the call, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday  that the contact between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Trump was  "just a small trick by Taiwan" that he believed would not change U.S.  policy toward China, according to Hong Kong's Phoenix TV.

"The one-China policy is the cornerstone of the  healthy development of China-U.S. relations and we hope this political  foundation will not be interfered with or damaged," Wang was quoted as  saying.

Taiwan's official Central News Agency said Edwin  Feulner, former president of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based  conservative think tank, was a "crucial figure" in setting up  communication channels between the sides, leading to the call. Feulner  could not immediately be reached to comment on the report, which cited  anonymous sources.

Feulner had met with Tsai in October when he led a  delegation from the think tank on a trip to Taiwan, according to a  release at the time from Taiwan's presidential office. That release says  Tsai called Feulner a "longtime friend to Taiwan" and conveyed her  gratitude to his foundation for its support.

Washington has pursued a so-called "one China" policy  since 1979, when it shifted diplomatic recognition of China from the  government in Taiwan to the communist government on the mainland. Under  that policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as representing China but  retains unofficial ties with Taiwan.

After the phone conversation, Trump tweeted that Tsai  "CALLED ME." He also groused about the reaction to the call:  "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military  equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

The call also has drawn attention to Taiwanese media  reports that the Trump Organization is interested in investing in the  Taiwanese city of Taoyuan, near Taipei.

The city's mayor, Cheng Wen-tsan, said in a  statement on the city government's website last month that a  representative of the Trump Organization had visited the city and  expressed interest in investing in hotels near the airport. The  statement said the visit was too brief for both sides to get into  details.

The Trump Organization has denied it has any projects planned in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese presidential office said Trump  and Tsai discussed issues affecting Asia and the future of U.S.  relations with Taiwan. "The (Taiwanese) president is looking forward to  strengthening bilateral interactions and contacts as well as setting up  closer cooperative relations," the statement said.

Tsai also told Trump that she hoped the U.S.  would support Taiwan in its participation in international affairs, the  office said, in an apparent reference to China's efforts to isolate  Taiwan from global institutions such as the United Nations.

Taiwan's presidential office spokesman Alex  Huang said separately that Taiwan's relations with China and "healthy"  Taiwan-U.S. relations can proceed in parallel. "There is no conflict (in  that)," he told reporters in Taipei.

China's foreign ministry said Beijing lodged "solemn representations" with the U.S. over the call.

"It must be pointed out that there is only  one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese  territory," Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesman, said in a statement. "The  government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate  government representing China."

The call is the starkest example yet of how  Trump has flouted diplomatic conventions since he won the Nov. 8  election. He has apparently undertaken calls with foreign leaders  without guidance customarily lent by the State Department, which  oversees U.S. diplomacy.

"President-elect  Trump is just shooting from the hip, trying to take phone calls of  congratulatory messages from leaders around the world without  consideration for the implications," said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser  for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in  Washington.

China is likely to be trying to identify  whether this signals any intent on the part of Trump to alter  long-standing U.S. policy toward Taiwan, Glaser said.

"They will hope that this is a misstep, but I  think privately, they will definitely seek to educate this incoming  president and ensure that he understands the sensitivity of Taiwan," she  said.

Last month, Trump had a call with Chinese  President Xi Jinping during which Trump's office described him as saying  he believed the two would have "one of the strongest relationships for  both countries."

Despite China's muted response Saturday,  concern about Trump's policy toward China is growing, said Shi Yinhong  of Renmin University in Beijing, one of China's best-known international  relations scholars.

Tsai was elected in January and took office  in May. The traditional independence-leaning policies of her party have  strained relations with Beijing.

The call with Trump could "convince people in  Taiwan that the island can establish good relations with the U.S. and  encourage (Tsai) to continue to resist pressure from Beijing," Shi said.

Over the decades, the status of Taiwan has  been one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations. China  regards Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken by force, if  necessary, if it seeks independence. It would regard any recognition of a  Taiwanese leader as a head of state as unacceptable.

Taiwan split from the Chinese mainland amid  civil war in 1949. The U.S. policy acknowledges the Chinese view over  sovereignty, but considers Taiwan's status as unsettled. The U.S. has  legal commitments to help Taiwan maintain the ability to defend itself.

Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House  National Security Council, said Trump's conversation does not signal any  change to long-standing U.S. policy on cross-strait issues.

In Beijing, a U.S. business group urged the new U.S. administration to respect the status quo.

"The new administration needs to get up to  speed quickly on the historical tensions and complex dynamics of the  region," said James Zimmerman, chairman of the American Chamber of  Commerce in China.

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Lai  reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire  in New York, Matthew Pennington and Darlene Superville in Washington,  and news researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.