China is furious after the Foreign Ministry’s Taiwan information page was updated. The new updated version has dropped a line that previously stated “we do not support Taiwan independence.”
The State Department has downplayed it as a “routine” update to its online information page on American relations with Taiwan. The change came last week but has now drawn a strong rebuke from Beijing, which fears Washington is changing its long-standing official policy of not officially supporting efforts towards Taiwan’s political independence and sovereignty.
The fact sheet still shows the US commitment to one China, but China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday called on the Trump administration to “immediately correct its mistakes” in removing the line.
Beijing’s statement warned of “further serious damage” to China-US relations due to Trump’s return to “America First” policy.
“The US State Department’s revision of the list of facts on US-Taiwan relations represents a serious regression in its position on Taiwan… (and) sends a seriously wrong message to pro-Taiwan independence separatist forces,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a briefing.
“This is yet another proof that the US is stubbornly pursuing the wrong Taiwan policy to contain China. We call on the US to immediately correct its mistakes,” Guo added, stressing that Trump must handle the Taiwan issue with “extreme caution.”
As for the updated State Department page, it says , “We remain interested in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo on either side.”
“We expect cross-strait differences to be resolved through peaceful means, without coercion, in a manner acceptable to people on both sides of the strait.”
But again, Beijing says this marks a “serious setback,” even as the US administration shrugs off the change . But in recent history, even the slightest changes or innovations in policies perceived as anti-China have usually resulted in a swift rebuke from Beijing.
The previous version of the fact sheet was stronger in distancing the US from its open policy of encouraging Taiwan’s independence from China.
A fact sheet released less than a week ago says the US opposes “any unilateral change to the status quo on either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved through peaceful means.”
China’s PLA military has once again increased its flights and exercises around the self-ruled island. For example, on Sunday, 24 Chinese warplanes flew near the island, as did a Canadian warship that passed through the disputed Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that PLA drones were also spotted conducting “joint combat readiness patrols” with warships around Taiwan. Last week, the US sent a pair of warships through the strait for the first time under the new Trump administration.
