BBC and other agencies reporting this latest Trump-related incident 3 Dec
China's foreign ministry says it has lodged a complaint with the US after President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Taiwan's leader in a phone call.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province. US policy, set in 1979, cut all formal relations with Taiwan but Trump's transition team said he and Tsai Ing-wen noted "close economic, political, and security ties" in a phone call.
China said it had lodged a "solemn representation" with Washington and urged the US "to cautiously, properly handle Taiwan issue to avoid unnecessary disturbance to Sino-US relations".
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the call as a "petty trick" by Taiwan.
Trump tweeted yesterday (Friday) that Ms Tsai had called him to congratulate him on winning the US election and his team said that the US president-elect had also congratulated Ms Tsai on becoming the president of Taiwan last January.
It's certainly not been the norm for a US president or president-elect to speak to a Taiwanese leader directly.
Following media reports pointing out the risks of angering China, Mr Trump tweeted:
The White House has said Mr Trump's conversation does not signal any change in US policy. US media reported that the White House learned of the call only after it had happened.
Mr Trump's spokeswoman said he was "well aware" of US policy towards Taiwan.
The BBC has more on this with excellent back-story here
Trump may be applauded in some quarters for a fresh approach but his version of diplomacy still frightens the heck out of me and this latest action will cause more than a few ripples in markets and the world at large.
I'm heading back out now, and away for the rest of the weekend. Have a good one and get prepared for another lively week in the wonderfully fickle world of Forex. Thanks once again for your brilliant support and input.
Trump calls Taiwan and China isn't happy
