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The U.S. State Department said it has routinely updated its website’s Taiwan department, along with other changes to cheer for Taipei after deleting previous words that it does not support Taiwan’s formal independence.
The fact sheet for Taiwan updated last week retained Washington’s opposition to unilateral changes in Taiwan or China, claiming that democratically ruled islands are their own.
However, in addition to removing the term “we do not support Taiwan independence”, the page also mentioned Taiwan’s cooperation with the Pentagon’s technology and semiconductor development projects and stated that the United States will support Taiwan’s membership in applicable international organizations.
The website’s update comes about three weeks after President Donald Trump took office for three terms.
Like most countries, the United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but its most powerful international supporters, on the grounds of law, provide the island with means to defend itself.
“According to routinely, the fact sheet has been updated to inform the general public about our informal relationship with Taiwan,” a State Department spokesman said in an email sent later Sunday.
The spokesman said: “The United States remains committed to one of its Chinese policies.” He refers to Washington’s formal position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and only recognizes China’s position on the subject.
The spokesperson said: “The United States is committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“We oppose any unilateral change between the two sides. We support cross-attribute dialogue, and we hope that the differences across borders can be resolved peacefully, without compulsory means, in an acceptable way. Straits.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not responded to a request for comment on the website’s wording changes.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung praised what he called “a positive stance on support and a positive stance on U.S. relations” on Sunday.
The Taiwan government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the people of the island can determine their future.
Taiwan said it was already an independent country called the Republic of China, with its official name. After losing the civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, the Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949, who established the People’s Republic of China.
