US State Department edits Taiwan fact sheet, angering Beijing for ‘hollowing’ one-China policy
- Among changes published, the new fact sheet no longer included a declaration of its long-time position that the US ‘does not support Taiwan independence’
- Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman says ‘political manipulation to try to change the cross-strait status quo would never succeed’
In an update of the fact sheet on US-Taiwan ties posted on its website on Thursday, the State Department has removed a portion of the first paragraph stating that in the Joint Communique signed with Beijing in 1979 “the US recognised the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is a part of China”.
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It also deleted a statement from the second paragraph of the 2018 fact sheet declaring its long-time position that the US “does not support Taiwan independence”.
Instead, in the new version, the State Department lauded Taiwan as a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, saying it was a key US partner in the Indo-Pacific, sharing similar values, deep commercial and economic links and strong people-to-people ties.
In mentioning the one-China policy, the new version noted that its policy was “guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China Joint Communiques and the Six Assurances” for Taiwan.
“Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship as well as an abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the new version said, adding that the US was committed to helping the island “maintain a sufficient self-defence capability”.