BEIJING (AP) – Responding to remarks by Donald Trump, China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said the country’s “one-China principle” regarding Taiwan is not negotiable and any attempt to reconsider the issue would be self-defeating.
Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that anyone attempting to use Taiwan’s status in a negotiation would be “smashing their feet by lifting a rock.”
“Not everything in the world can be bargained or traded off,” Hua told reporters at a daily briefing.
“Whoever attempts to harm the one-China principle out of any motive or uses the principle as a bargaining chip will definitely be facing broad and strong opposition from the Chinese government and people, as well as the international community,” Hua said.
Trump told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Friday that “everything is under negotiation, including ‘one China.'” It was the latest sign that Trump could shake up the U.S.-China relationship, particularly regarding Taiwan, which China considers a core national interest.