China accused the United States of a “serious regression” in its position on Taiwan after the State Department updated its fact sheet on U.S.-Taiwan relations to remove a reference to Taiwan’s independence. While the State Department still opposes unilateral changes to the status quo from either China or Taiwan, the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” was removed. China criticized the move, saying it sends the wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces and urged the U.S. to correct this mistake to avoid further damage to China-U.S. relations and peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The U.S., despite not having official relations with Taiwan, is a crucial supporter of the island and is required by law to provide defensive weapons. Taiwan, which China claims as its own, views itself as an independent country, having separated from mainland China after losing a civil war in 1949. The U.S. established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1979, recognizing its stance on Taiwan being part of China, but not taking a position of its own on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
While the State Department clarified that its position on Taiwan independence had not changed, it added references to Taiwan’s cooperation in technology projects and pledged to support its participation in international organizations. Taiwan welcomed the website changes, which showed a positive stance on U.S.-Taiwan relations, amidst increasing military pressure from China. The situation was further heightened by recent shows of naval strength, with Chinese military aircraft and vessels operating near Taiwan.
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