President-elect Trump is taking criticism from an array of Chinese media outlets that dubbed him a “diplomatic rookie” and derided his criticism of China following his phone call with Taiwan’s leader.
“To stop acting like the diplomatic rookie he is, the next U.S. president needs help in adapting to his forthcoming role change,” China Daily wrote in a Tuesday editorial. “Otherwise, he will make costly troubles for his country, and find himself trying to bluster his way through constant diplomatic conflagrations.”
The People’s Daily, an organ of the ruling Communist Party, offered a more ominous warning. “As a sovereign state, China sets its own policy and can retaliate if necessary,” the People’s Daily wrote. “Not only is the U.S. more dependent on China than Trump seems to realize, but world peace and prosperity depend on the healthy develop of China-U.S. relations. Trump needs to get the China-U.S. relationship right.”
The battery of criticisms followed Trump’s decision to accept a congratulatory phone from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the first known contact between a U.S. president and a Taiwanese official since 1979. That angered the Chinese government, which views Taiwan — the last stronghold of the nationalist government that was overthrown when the Communists took over — as a rebellious province.
Trump responded to criticism of the call by noting U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan and reiterating the economic attacks he made against the Chinese government while campaigning.
“Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into … their country (the U.S. doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!” Trump wrote in a pair of tweets.
China Daily countered with an apparent expression of government policy towards comments Trump makes before inauguration day. As president-elect, Trump can expect some forgiveness even when he is shooting from the hip,” the editorial said. “But things will be different when he becomes president.”
