On Monday, China reacted strongly to the US State Department removing a line from its fact sheet on Taiwan that said the US “does not support Taiwan independence,” saying the move damages US-China relations.
“History cannot be tampered with, facts cannot be denied, and truth cannot be distorted. US State Department updated its fact sheet on relations with Taiwan and gravely backpedaled on its position on Taiwan-related issues,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.
Guo urged the US to “immediately correct its wrongdoings” and avoid “further severe damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
While the State Department fact sheet says the US “has a longstanding one-China policy,” the removal of the rejection of Taiwan independence signals the Trump administration will provide support to the Taiwanese government of President William Lai Ching-te, a member of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Lai’s government welcomed the change, though it did not specifically mention the removal of the language about Taiwanese independence. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry told The Associated Press that it “has noted that the US State Department updated the ‘Current State of US-Taiwan Relations’ page … with text that is positive and friendly toward us, reflecting the close and amicable partnership between Taiwan and the United States.”
The US formally severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 as part of a normalization deal with China, but in recent years, the US has been increasing both military and diplomatic support for the island as part of its strategy against Beijing in the region. China has repeatedly warned that Taiwan is the first “red line” in US-China relations that must not be crossed.
