BEIJING: It’s a verbal tightrope American presidents have had to walk for nearly 50 years, where even small slip-ups when stating official US policy toward Taiwan and China can trigger geopolitical alarm bells. The way the US views Taiwan under the “One China” policy recognizes the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China, while still allowing for informal US relations with the self-governing island. It is intended to be vague — built on what’s become known as strategic ambiguity.

BEIJING: It’s a verbal tightrope American presidents have had to walk for nearly 50 years, where even small slip-ups when stating official US policy toward Taiwan and China can…

' is warning the US side in no uncertain terms not to screw around,' says Joe Mazur, geopolitics analyst at consultancy Trivium China