Obama warns Trump against provoking 'very significant' China response over Taiwan

President Barack Obama on Friday warned his successor Donald Trump against antagonizing China by reaching out to Taiwan, saying he could risk a "very significant" response if he upends decades of diplomatic tradition.

The Republican president-elect has said he could jettison Washington's "One China policy" -- a diplomatic dodge allowing the US to simultaneously do business with Beijing and Taipei -- and spoke with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen after his election win.

"The idea of One China is at the heart of their conception as a nation. And so if you are going to upend this understanding, you have to have thought through what the consequences are, because the Chinese will not treat that the way they'll treat some other issues," Obama told a year-end press conference.

"This goes to the core of how they see themselves, and their reaction on this issue could end up being very significant."