US State Department struggles to get its fact sheet straight on Taiwan
- After triggering an angry response from Beijing, officials amend document on relations with Taipei for the second time in weeks
- Latest change restores a line making clear that Washington does not support independence for the island
But the line was reinstated in a new version dated May 28, in a change first reported by the Taiwanese Central News Agency on Friday.
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” the latest version says.
The earlier update – which also removed a section recognising the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China – triggered an angry response from Beijing, which regards the island as a breakaway province to be returned, by force if necessary.
The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of using a “petty trick” with the amendment, to hollow out the one-China principle.
The fact sheet changes follow confusing signals from Washington regarding its policies towards Taiwan, after US President Joe Biden answered “yes” to the question of whether the US would back up the island militarily if it was attacked from the mainland.