‘Chi will take off the gloves, if Trump messes with Taiwan’

Beijing, Jan 16: Chi will not shy away from taking “off the gloves”, if the US wants to use Taiwan as a “bargaining chip”, a Chinese daily warned on Monday. An editorial in state-run Chi Daily called Taiwan a “Pandora’s box” which had “the lethal potential to upend” Sino-US ties. The hard-hitting article came in the wake of US President-elect D. Dold Trump’s recent interview to a newspaper in which the former real-estate mogul said America need not consider Taiwan as an integral part of Chi. “Taiwan has been off limits in Chi-US diplomacy thanks to the understanding that it is a Pandora’s box of lethal potential, and that opening it may upend the hard-earned, firmly held fundamentals governing the relationship.” “If Trump is determined to use this gambit on taking office, a period of fierce, damaging interactions will be uvoidable, as Beijing will have no choice but to take off the gloves.” Taiwan, a self-ruled island, is claimed by Chi. The US, since 1979, has acceded to the ‘One Chi’ policy and refrained from diplomatic ties with Taiwan. US-Chi ties have come under severe strain after Trump made incendiary remarks against the second-largest economy of the world. Besides Taiwan, Trump has aggressively challenged Beijing’s sovereignty over the disputed South Chi Sea. So much so that US Secretary of State-elect Rex Tillerson threatened to bar Chi from the islands in the contested waters.

The paper said Chi chose not to slam the US when Trump received the phone call from Taiwan President Tsai-Ing Wen. Instead, the Chinese Foreign Minister termed the call a “petty trick” by Taipei, the paper said. It said Beijing showed patience even when Trump told a news channel that the US would not “be bound by the One Chi policy”. “Beijing simply reiterated that acknowledgment of One Chi is fundamental, and non-negotiable, for healthy ties.” (IANS)