For years, the U.S. government has urged China to show "restraint" in pushing its claim on Taiwan and to drop military threats to bring the democratically governed island under its control. Now - some Chinese commentators say - the power of that long-held U.

Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, also said he was leaving his post with deep concerns about the future of relations with China.

President-elect Trump’s answer to an ‘I gotcha' question is capturing all of the headlines – his refusal to rule out military force in the Panama Canal – but many in the media are missing its intended messaging.