(FreedomBeacon.com)- On Tuesday, the spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry blasted the US State Department for changing the wording about Taiwan on its website and accused the United States of “political manipulation.”
The fact sheet on Taiwan on the State Department website has been updated to remove the wording opposing Taiwan’s independence and acknowledging that Taiwan is a part of China.
Since Beijing maintains that Taiwan is not an independent nation, but part of China, this bold move on behalf of the State Department did not sit well with them at all.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Tuesday that there is only one China of which Taiwan is a part. He said the US State Department changing the fact sheet is “a petty act of fictionalizing and hallowing out the One-China principle.”
Zhao accused the United States of “political manipulation on the Taiwan question,” adding that it is Washington’s attempt to “change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.” He warned that removing Beijing’s preferred language would “stir up a fire” that will burn the United States.
Based on the date at the top of the fact sheet, the wording was changed last Thursday. However, Chinese and Taiwanese media didn’t notice it until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying its government would continue strengthening its defense capabilities while cooperating with the United States and other countries to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The other changes to the page include the addition of the “Six Assurances,” security assurances given to Taiwan in 1982 during the Reagan presidency that were declassified in 2020.
The assurances include statements that the US has not set an end date on selling arms to Taiwan, nor has it agreed to consult with Beijing on arms sales or revisions to the Taiwan Relations Act.
Taiwan rejects Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the island nation, saying it will be Taiwan’s 23 million people who decide the future.
