On Monday, China accused the United States of a “serious regression” in its stance on Taiwan, after the State Department removed a reference to the island’s independence from Beijing.
The State Department fact sheet on US-Taiwan relations reiterates Washington’s opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either China or Taiwan, which is a self-governing democracy that rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
However, the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” appears to have been removed Thursday in what the State Department claims was a routine update.
Taiwan welcomed the change, but China said it “sends the wrong signal to the Taiwan independence forces” and urged the US to “immediately correct this mistake.”
The United States should “stop using Taiwan to control China” and “stop condoning and supporting Taiwan independence,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday. “This will help avoid further serious damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The phrase “not supporting Taiwan independence” was removed from the State Department fact sheet in 2022 during the Biden administration before being reinstated a few weeks later.
The United States, like most other countries, has no official relations with Taiwan, but it is the island’s most important international backer and is required by law to provide defensive weapons to its 23 million people.
Beijing, which has not ruled out using force to assert its sovereignty claims, is extremely sensitive to any indication of international recognition of Taiwan, which it refers to as its “core of core interests.”
Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, claims independence. Its government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war against Mao Zedong’s communist forces, who founded the People’s Republic of China.
Since establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, the United States has recognized the People’s Republic of China as China’s sole legal government, acknowledging Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China but taking no official stance on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The State Department stated that the United States’ position on Taiwan independence had not changed, and that it remained committed to its “One China” policy.
“The United States is committed to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” a State Department spokesperson said in an email Sunday.
“We are opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We support cross-Strait dialogue and expect differences to be resolved peacefully, without coercion, and in a way that is acceptable to people on both sides of the Strait.
The State Department website has also been updated to include a reference to Taiwan’s collaboration with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project, as well as a statement that the United States will continue to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, “including membership where applicable.”
China has consistently opposed Taiwan’s membership in international organizations like the World Health Organization.
Taiwan praised the website changes, with foreign minister Lin Chia-lung stating in a statement Sunday that his ministry appreciated “the support and positive stance on U.S.-Taiwan relations” demonstrated.
Though President Donald Trump has unnerved Taiwan with recent remarks demanding that the island pay more for its defense and accusing it of stealing US semiconductor business, his administration has also issued strong statements of support for Taipei.
Last week, two US Navy ships passed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait for the first time since Trump’s inauguration last month. On Sunday, a Canadian warship sailed through the strait, prompting Beijing to condemn the action.
In recent years, China has increased military and other pressure on Taiwan, sending warplanes and vessels there almost daily.
On Monday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 41 Chinese military aircraft, nine Chinese naval vessels, and one “official ship” operating around Taiwan between midnight and 6 a.m. local time (5 p.m. Sunday ET), with 28 of the planes crossing the median line that had previously served as an unofficial buffer in the Taiwan Strait.