China warns Trump again that he is 'playing with fire'

China will have "no choice but to take off the gloves" if U.S. president-elect Donald Trump continues to question Chinese policy, a state-owned newspaper has declared.

The China Daily's editorial is the latest in a series of remarks on Trump, with another Chinese newspaper previously calling him "immature".

The latest rebuke comes after Trump dismissed China's firm "One China" policy as "negotiable" in a Wall Street Journal interview.

China does not recognise Taiwan as a nation, but a breakaway state and considers it part of "One China."

The U.S. has for decades aligned itself with this policy, in order to maintain peace between the two Chinese regions.

The latest China Daily editorial on Monday was titled "Trump playing with fire with his Taiwan game."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"If Trump is determined to use this gambit on taking office, a period of fierce, damaging interactions will be unavoidable, as Beijing will have no choice but to take off the gloves", it said, hinting that the country would start resorting to force.

The editorial also added that China's threatened actions to Trump may be "costly...but it will prove a worthy price to pay to make the next U.S. president aware of the...serious consequences of his Taiwan game."

Trump first set an unprecedented move in December when he accepted a phone call from Taiwanese leader Tsai-Ing wen, going against decades-long U.S. diplomatic policy.