Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The US State Department has modified its fact sheet on Taiwan to reintroduce a statement that it does not...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - The US State Department has modified its fact sheet on Taiwan to reintroduce a statement that it does not support formal independence for the Chinese-claimed, democratically-governed island.
To Beijing's chagrin, the State Department updated the wording on its website for Taiwan last month, eliminating language about not supporting Taiwan independence as well as admitting Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China.
The update, according to Washington, does not reflect a policy shift. The phrasing has now been amended once more to include the phrase "we do not favor Taiwan independence."
The move was initially reported on Friday by Taiwan's official Central News Agency, and it appears to have occurred on May 28, according to the fact sheet's top date.
A request for comment from the State Department was not immediately returned.
The US does not favor Taiwan independence, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price, who stated in May that "we have consistently made this plain both in public and in private."
Taiwan is already a de facto independent country, albeit international recognition is limited. Despite the fact that Washington has no diplomatic links with Taipei, it is the country's most major international patron and arms supplier.
The Republic of China is Taiwan's official name, as it was the name of the government that fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Communist Party, which established the People's Republic of China with Beijing as its capital.
In 2005, the Chinese government established a law that gives Beijing the legal authority to take military action if it believes Taiwan has seceded or is about to secede.
Taiwan's administration claims that only the island's 23 million residents have the right to decide their own fate, and that while it wishes for peace, it will defend itself if attacked.
