China has condemned the United States for revising its official stance on Taiwan, demanding that Washington "correct its mistakes" after the U.S. State Department removed a statement from its website that explicitly said it does not support Taiwan's independence.
The change, made last week, has reignited tensions between Beijing and Washington over the self-governed island. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and has refused to rule out using force to bring it under Chinese control. The U.S., while not diplomatically recognizing Taiwan, remains its main security backer.
The fact sheet on the State Department's website previously stated, "We do not support Taiwan independence." That line was removed in an update that now references Taiwan's cooperation with the Pentagon on technology and semiconductor projects and includes language supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations "where applicable."
Chinese officials sharply criticized the revision. The change "sends a seriously wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and will only damage peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement Monday. "We urge the US side to ... correct its mistakes and prudently handle the Taiwan issue."
China's Foreign Ministry also weighed in, describing the update as a "serious regression" in U.S. policy. "This sends a wrong and serious signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan independence and is another example of the U.S. stubbornly persisting with its wrong policy of using Taiwan to contain China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a regular press briefing. "We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes [and] earnestly adhere to the One China principle."
The revision follows the inauguration of Donald Trump for a second term in the White House, adding a fresh layer of uncertainty to the already fraught U.S.-China relationship. Trump has previously suggested that Taiwan should pay the U.S. for military protection and has blamed the island for challenges facing the American semiconductor industry.
Taiwan's government has welcomed the language update. "Positive and friendly," Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said in response, thanking Washington for what he called "Taiwan-friendly wordings." The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy on the island, described the revision as a routine update meant to clarify the "unofficial relationship" between Washington and Taipei. "We have long stated that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side," a spokesperson for the institute said.
