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Change to State Department website sparks fiery rebuke from Beijing over Taiwanese independence

Change to State Department website sparks fiery rebuke from Beijing over Taiwanese independence
February 17, 2025
Nectar Gan - CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) โ€” China has accused the Trump administration of โ€œserious 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 โ€œroutineโ€ update to its online fact sheet on US relations with Taiwan last week, the State Department dropped the phrase โ€œwe 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. Chinaโ€™s 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.

Chinaโ€™s Foreign Ministry urged the US on Monday to โ€œimmediately correct its mistakesโ€ over the removal of the line, or risk โ€œfurther serious damageโ€ to China-US relations which are being tested once again by the return of Trumpโ€™s โ€œAmerica Firstโ€ policy.

โ€œThe US State Departmentโ€™s revision of the list of facts regarding US-Taiwan relations represents a serious regression in its stance on Taiwanโ€ฆ(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.

โ€œThis 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 โ€œutmost caution.โ€

Analysts have said that Chinese leaders are particularly concerned about Trumpโ€™s new foreign policy teamโ€™s stance on Taiwan, the reddest of red lines for Beijing.

Trumpโ€™s 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.

โ€œAs 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 โ€œone China policyโ€ โ€“ a line that is still stated in the updated fact sheet.

Under what is known as the โ€œone China policy,โ€ the US recognizes the Peopleโ€™s Republic as the sole legitimate government of China; it also acknowledges Beijingโ€™s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never accepted the Chinese Communist Partyโ€™s claim of sovereignty over the island.

โ€œThe 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, Taiwanโ€™s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed the website change saying its content reflected โ€œsupport and positive stance on US-Taiwan relations.โ€

The latest fact sheet also said that Washington will continue to support Taiwanโ€™s meaningful participation in international organizations, including membership โ€œwhere applicable.โ€ It previously stated that Washington will continue to support Taiwanโ€™s membership in international organizations โ€œwhere statehood is not a requirement,โ€ according to Taiwanโ€™s Central News Agency, which first reported on the change in wording.

Under Xi Jinping, Chinaโ€™s 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 Chinaโ€™s military, which accused the US action of โ€œsending the wrong signals and increasing security risks.โ€

The-CNN-Wire
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