China accuses US of backpedalling on Taiwan independence

China has rebuked the US for removing a phrase opposing Taiwanese independence from one of its government policy documents.

The US State Department last week deleted six words — “we do not support Taiwan independence” — from an online document outlining America’s relationship with the self-governing island.

In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Washington of “gravely backpedalling” on its position.

“We urge the US to ... stop emboldening and supporting Taiwan independence and avoid further damaging China-US relations and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

This is not the first time the US has changed its public stance.

A similar change was made in May 2022 under the Biden administration, but it was soon reversed after pressure from Beijing.

Taiwan’s government reacted positively to the latest development.

The island described the updated text as "positive and friendly toward us, reflecting the close and amicable partnership between Taiwan and the United States".

It remains unclear why the language was altered and what US President Donald Trump's exact stance on China and Taiwan will be.

While the US remains the island’s most significant ally and largest supplier of military equipment, Trump's recent comments have sparked concern in Taipei.

Last week, the US president suggested that Taiwan, a major producer of semiconductors, had unfairly taken business away from the US and expressed a desire to see the industry return to American soil.

Meanwhile, China has intensified its military presence around Taiwan, which is self-governed but has never declared its independence from the mainland.

Beijing, which claims it should control Taiwan, has not ruled out taking the island by force.

The updated US fact sheet maintains that Washington expects “differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides".