They were only six words on a website, but they helped maintain Beijing’s fiction that Taiwan is part of its territory. Their disappearance has infuriated China’s communist leaders. ‘It gravely contravenes international law and the basic norms of international relations,’ raged Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, on Monday.
The website in question was that of the US State Department. The words – ‘we do not support Taiwan independence’ – have been removed from its ‘fact sheet’ along with a tweak to another section that implies stronger support for Taiwan’s right to join international organisations, which Beijing has consistently blocked. The changes were welcomed by the government in Taipei, which described the changes as ‘positive and friendly’.
The US is committed by law to providing Taiwan with the weapons to defend itself
The State Department denied the change in wording represented a change in policy. ‘As is routine, the fact sheet was updated to inform the general public about our unofficial relationship with Taiwan,’ a statement said.
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