The US State Department has abandoned a statement from its website which said Washington does not support Taiwan’s independence – a decision that sparked anger in China.
China said that the revision “sends an evil … signal to the separatist forces pleading for the independence of Taiwan”, and asked the United States to “correct its mistakes”.
The information sheet of the department on Taiwan -US relations included the expression earlier “We do not support the independence of Taiwan” – this was deleted last week as part of what he said to be An “routine” update.
A spokesperson for the United States was cited as indicating that he was attached to the policy of “One China”, he said, where the United States recognizes and have official links with China rather than Taiwan.
China considers that Taiwan autonomous as a province of escape which will eventually be part of the country and has not excluded the use of force to achieve it.
But many Taiwanese see themselves as part of a separate nation, although most are in favor of maintaining the status quo where Taiwan does not declare the independence of China or unites with it.
In addition to dropping the sentence, the information sheet, which was updated last Thursday, also indicates that the United States will support Taiwan’s belonging to international organizations “if necessary”.
Commenting on the changes, a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan – the American de facto embassy on the island – told local media that the information sheet had been “updated to inform the general public on Unofficial (American) relations with Taiwan with Taiwan “.
“We have long declared that we oppose any unilateral modification of the status quo on each side.”
On Sunday, Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-Lung, thanked the United States for what he called “positive formulations adapted to Taiwan”.
But during their regular press conference on Monday, the Beijing Foreign Ministry criticized this decision, describing the revision of “serious regression” in the United States position in Taiwan.
“This sends an erroneous and serious signal to the separatist forces pleading for the independence of Taiwan and is another example of the persistent United States with its poor policy of use of Taiwan to contain China,” said the Chinese spokesman Guo Jiakun.
“We urge the United States to immediately correct its mistakes (and seriously adhere to the principle of China alone.”
