China is accusing the United States of a “serious regression” in its policy toward Taiwan after the State Department updated language about the country on its website.
The change in question came from an update to a fact sheet about U.S.-Taiwan relations. China was angered that the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” was removed from the relatively short fact sheet. State Department officials said the change was part of a routine update, according to NBC News.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun urged the U.S. to change the wording back and said it “sends a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence forces.” He said that the U.S. should “stop using Taiwan to control China” and “stop condoning and supporting Taiwan independence.”
“This will help avoid further serious damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he added.
The phrase in question was reportedly removed from the website once before during the Biden administration but then was added back a few weeks after its removal.
Crucially, the document still maintains that it opposes unilateral changes to Taiwan’s status quo from either Beijing or Tapaei. The U.S. supports a “one China” policy that acknowledges China’s claim that Taiwan, which claims its own independence, is part of China.
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” a State Department spokesperson said. “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.”
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China has emerged as the biggest global adversary of the U.S. in recent years as it ratcheted up its global military and economic footprint. President Donald Trump is seen as a bit of a China hawk and vowed to take a hard line against Beijing during the election. The U.S. supplies Taiwan with defensive weapons.
Trump applied fresh tariffs on China earlier this month, which caused Beijing to retaliate hours later. Trump reversed part of those tariffs three days later, leaving intact an exemption for imported products valued at under $800 known as the “de minimis” exemption, although it is expected that it will be reinstated.