China on Wednesday warned the US government against moves that deviate from the one-China principle after State Department updated its factsheet on the country’s relations with Taiwan calling it a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.
A Chinese spokesperson issued a warning in response to a recent update to the “Taiwan fact sheet” displayed on the website of the US Department of State.
The State Department removed wording on not supporting “Taiwan independence” and acknowledging China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, Xinhua news agency reported.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said some people in the Taiwan region are playing up this issue, in an attempt to garner U.S. support for independence. “Such a move will not change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China.”
She also urged the US government to adhere to the one-China principle and comply with the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques with concrete actions.
Experts say that this update made by the US State Department in open support of the Taiwanese government is a significant departure from the earlier US stand which used to clearly state that “the United States does not support Taiwan independence.”
The new factsheet recognizes only the bare minimum framework of the one-china policy, which the US is bound to under its commitments to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the 1979 US-PRC Joint Communique.
“Through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a non-governmental organization mandated by the Taiwan Relations Act to carry out the United States’ unofficial relations with Taiwan, our cooperation with Taiwan continues to expand,” the new factsheet states.
In November last year, President Joe Biden could be clearly heard saying to reporters “it’s independent. It makes its own decisions,” in reference to Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.
The statement quickly generated controversy because the US has never officially stated its stance on whether it considers Taiwan to be an independent nation or not, the report said.