State-run media in China on Monday said United States President-elect Donald Trump had “overestimated the US’ capability of dominating the world” and that he failed to understand the “limitation of US powers in the current era”. An editorial in the Global Times accused Trump – who has questioned the point of the “One China” policy – of “blackmailing China” by using Taiwan, which Beijing considers a part of China.

Beijing had a “whole raft of tools to fight” Trump’s economic and trade threats to the country, the editorial said. “Especially in the Taiwan Strait, China is now confident enough to arm-wrestle with the US...If Trump wants to play tough, China will not fail,” the editorial said. However, it also called on Beijing to “win respect from Trump’s team”, failing which it would become “hard to interact with Washington in the next four years”.

It also called on the Chinese government “make the use of military force an actual option to realise” the reunification of China and Taiwan. “China needs more imagination in its foreign policies,” the editorial said. Earlier on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said “established policy” was the “political foundation” of any diplomatic relationship between China and the US, AP reported. “We urge the new U.S. leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue,” Geng said.

Last week, Trump told Fox News that there was no point in continuing with the “One China” policy if Beijing did not make trade concessions. “I don’t want China dictating to me,” he said. According to the policy in question, Beijing and Washington both consider Taiwan a part of China. While the White House said that Trump’s conversation did not signal any change in US policy, the president-elect defended his phone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.