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| US President Barack Obama speaks at his final news conference of the year in White House in Washington DC, the United States, Dec 16, 2016. President Obama said on Friday no other bilateral relationship carries more significance than US-China relationship, and if the US-China relation breaks down, everyone becomes worse off. (Yin Bogu / Xinhua) |
There's also the potential if that relationship breaks down or goes into a full conflict mode that everybody's worse off
Barack Obama, US President
"Given the importance of the relation between the United States and China, given how much is at stake, in terms of the world economy, national security... China's increasing role in international affairs, there's probably no bilateral relationship that carries more significance," said Obama here in his final news conference of the year.
"There's also the potential if that relationship breaks down or goes into a full conflict mode that everybody's worse off," he added.
Donald Trump prompted a sharp objection from China over his decision to accept a telephone call on Dec 2 from Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen . It was the first time a US president or president-elect has publicly spoken to a Taiwan leader in nearly four decades.
After the phone call, the White House reaffirmed its firm commitment to one-China policy on several occasions.
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It is universally recognized by the international community that there is only one China in the world, and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has made clear that adherence to one-China policy is the prerequisite for Taiwan to conduct contacts with foreign countries or participate in international activities.
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In a Fox News broadcast on Dec 11, Trump said the US does not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China", challenging the consensus that the two countries have upheld for nearly four decades.
