Hong Kong (CNN) โ China has accused the Trump administration of โserious regressionโ in its position on Taiwan, after the State Department removed a line from its website stating that the US does not support Taiwan independence.
In what it called a โroutineโ update to its online fact sheet on US relations with Taiwan last week, the State Department dropped the phrase โwe do not support Taiwan independenceโ โ a position long held by Washington.
The change was welcomed by Taipei but triggered one of the strongest rebukes from Beijing since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Chinaโs ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing democracy as its own territory, and has vowed to take control of the island one day, by force if necessary.
Chinaโs Foreign Ministry urged the US on Monday to โimmediately correct its mistakesโ over the removal of the line, or risk โfurther serious damageโ to China-US relations which are being tested once again by the return of Trumpโs โAmerica Firstโ policy.
โThe US State Departmentโs revision of the list of facts regarding US-Taiwan relations represents a serious regression in its stance on Taiwanโฆ(and) sends a seriously erroneous message to the separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence,โ ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference.
โThis is further evidence of the US stubbornly adhering to the erroneous policy of using Taiwan to contain China. We urge the US to immediately correct its mistakes,โ Guo added, warning Washington to handle the Taiwan issue with โutmost caution.โ
Analysts have said that Chinese leaders are particularly concerned about Trumpโs new foreign policy teamโs stance on Taiwan, the reddest of red lines for Beijing.
Trumpโs second term cabinet is stacked with prominent China hawks, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio has been a steadfast supporter of Taiwan. The former senator has previously pushed for a raft of legislation to strengthen ties between Washington and Taipei, including fast-tracking US arms sales to the island.
In a statement to CNN, the State Department described the wording change as part of a standard update.
โAs is routine, the fact sheet was updated to inform the general public about our unofficial relationship with Taiwan,โ a State Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that the US remains committed to its โone China policyโ โ a line that is still stated in the updated fact sheet.
Under what is known as the โone China policy,โ the US recognizes the Peopleโs Republic as the sole legitimate government of China; it also acknowledges Beijingโs position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never accepted the Chinese Communist Partyโs claim of sovereignty over the island.
โThe United States is committed to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.โ the spokesperson said.
The wording on Taiwan independence was also removed in 2022 from the State Department website, only to be restored a month later, according to Reuters.
In a statement to CNN, Taiwanโs Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed the website change saying its content reflected โsupport and positive stance on US-Taiwan relations.โ
The latest fact sheet also said that Washington will continue to support Taiwanโs meaningful participation in international organizations, including membership โwhere applicable.โ It previously stated that Washington will continue to support Taiwanโs membership in international organizations โwhere statehood is not a requirement,โ according to Taiwanโs Central News Agency, which first reported on the change in wording.
Under Xi Jinping, Chinaโs most assertive leader in a generation, Beijing has sought to isolate Taiwan economically, military and diplomatically, including preventing Taiwanese membership of major global bodies.
Last week, two US Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait in the first such mission since Trump took office, drawing an angry response from Chinaโs military, which accused the US action of โsending the wrong signals and increasing security risks.โ
The-CNN-Wire
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