China's response to latest salvo not so clear-cut

The latest provocation by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to relax restrictions on its officials' interactions with Taiwan will clearly not go down well in Beijing, but coming up with the right response can prove tricky for Chinese leaders at this juncture.

China is seeking to rebuild crumbled ties with the incoming Biden administration, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi going as far as describing the transition to a new leadership as presenting "a new window of hope". Yet, Taiwan remains the most touchy issue and a perennial potential flashpoint between the two countries, and for China, the most important of its "core interests".