US President-elect Donald Trump criticized China on Sunday for not helping the US with efforts to get rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, questioning why the US should stick to the "One China" policy.

The remark corroborates the negative views Trump has of China after his controversial acceptance of a call from Taiwan's president last week in a break from the decadeslong diplomatic tradition that the United States has kept under its One China policy since normalizing relations with Beijing in 1979.

"I fully understand the One China policy. But I don't know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump said in an interview with "Fox News Sunday."

Trump said China is hurting US businesses with currency devaluation, which makes Chinese products cheaper compared with US goods, with heavy duties on US exports and with "building a massive fortress in the middle of the South China Sea, which they shouldn't be doing."

"And, frankly, they're not helping us at all with North Korea.

You have North Korea, you have nuclear weapons, and China could solve that problem. And they're not helping us at all," Trump said.

During the election campaign, Trump said he would pressure China to exercise its influence over North Korea as the main food and energy provider, to rein in the North, saying the North is basically China's problem to fix.

China is North Korea's last-remaining major ally, and a key provider of food and fuel supplies. But it has been reluctant to use its influence over Pyongyang for fears that pushing the regime too hard could result in instability in the North and hurt Chinese national interests.

Trump's remarks suggest he may use the One China policy as leverage in dealing with Beijing in connection with economic and security issues, which could seriously sour the relations between the two superpowers.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province that must be unified with the mainland and rails against any support for Taiwan's independence or the notion that the island is not part of the country. Despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, the US has maintained friendly relations with Taiwan.

Beijing lodged a protest after Trump's call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

"I don't want China dictating to me. And this was a call put into me. I didn't make the call. And it was a call, very short call, saying, 'Congratulations, sir, on the victory.' It was a very nice call. Short," Trump said.

"And why should some other nation be able to say, I can't take a call? I think it would have been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it."  (Yonhap)