Taiwan praises U.S. State Department on independence phrase

Taiwan praised the State Department for removing a phrase from a fact sheet saying the U.S. does “not support Taiwan independence,” an episode that threatens to renew sparring between Washington and Beijing over the self-ruled archipelago.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung “welcomes the support and positive stance” showed by the explainer on Taiwan-U.S. relations, his ministry said in a statement received on Monday. Taipei also thanks Washington for its “continued compliance” with a 1979 law that lays out relations between the U.S. and Taiwan, including provisions for military support.

The remarks came after the State Department updated the webpage to remove the phrase, which Beijing frequently asks nations it has diplomatic ties with to endorse. The page was last changed on Feb. 13. The fact sheet still says that the United States has “an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and that it would “oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.”

The State Department didn’t respond to request for comment outside working hours. China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately reply to a similar request.

The episode underscores the complicated position Taiwan holds in the relationship between China and the United States, which is already fraught over issues such as trade, technology transfers and human rights issues. Beijing has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control someday, by force if that’s what it takes. Washington is Taipei’s biggest military backer, though Trump has suggested the archipelago should have to pay for protection.

Taiwan’s trade surplus with the U.S. has also raised concern in Taipei that the United States leader will hit exports with tariffs.