The United States Department of State has eliminated text suggesting that Washington does not support Taiwan independence.
In the latest "fact sheet" on Taiwan, which was revised on Thursday, the wording "we do not support Taiwan independence" no longer appears. This language was previously included in the document.
In addition, the new fact sheet modifies a portion on Taiwan's involvement in international organizations. It deletes the mention of "where statehood is not a requirement" and adds a new statement that stresses Taiwan's conflict with China must be resolved "free from coercion, in an acceptable manner to the people on both sides of the Strait."
Another new addition is a line describing the Pentagon's cooperation with Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council.
The State Department has described these updates as "routine" in reaction to questions from the press.
“As is routine, the fact sheet was updated to inform the general public about our unofficial relationship with Taiwan,” a spokesperson told multiple media outlets.
The spokesperson was quoted as saying that the US remains committed to its “One China Policy”, which acknowledges China’s position that there is only one Chinese government, and “preserving the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait”.
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We support cross-Strait dialogue, and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to people on both sides of the Strait,” the spokesperson said.
The American Institute in Taiwan, the US' de facto embassy in Taipei, was closed on Monday for Presidents' Day in the US and could not comment.
On Monday, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said that the United States' position on Taiwan affairs has "seriously regressed."
“This is yet another example of the United States’ stubborn adherence to the erroneous policy of ‘using Taiwan to suppress China’. We urge the United States side to immediately rectify its mistakes,” they added.
Despite State Department efforts to play down the update, US Taiwan Watch co-founder Yang Kuang-shun said that it still clearly informs China of where Washington stands in its relationship with Taiwan.
“My feeling is that this is a pretty bold move, but it doesn’t mean the Trump administration will support Taiwanese independence or any kind of policy change of that nature,” Yang told Al Jazeera.
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