Chinese foreign ministry: Trump must abide by ‘One China’ policy

China’s foreign ministry said Saturday that the “One China” policy serves as the foundation of U.S.-China relations and is non-negotiable, pushing back on President-elect Donald Trump’s claim that the policy was being reevaluated.

The comments from the foreign ministry were posted on its website and urged the incoming Trump administration to acknowledge the One China policy as necessary to continuing U.S.-China relations.

Trump would not commit in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday to abiding by the “One China” policy, saying instead that “everything is under negotiation.”

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The president-elect also shook relations with China in December, when he accepted a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. That phone call caused China to submit a formal diplomatic complaint.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province that is still part of China.

The U.S. adopted the “One China” principle in 1979, when it formally restored diplomatic relations with China and announced that it would no longer recognize the government of Taiwan.

Trump was critical of China throughout his presidential campaign, admonishing the east Asian superpower for currency manipulation and accusing China of harming American business interests. But he told the Journal that he would not formally label China a currency manipulator before talking to Chinese leaders.

“I would talk to them first,” he said. “Certainly they are manipulators.”