
<p>Chinese officials are furious over the US State Department’s recent change to an online fact sheet regarding Washington’s relationship with Taiwan. ;</p>



<p>A summary which previously referred to Taiwan as a part of China without its own government and explicitly denounced support for its independence now describes the island nation as a &#8220;leading democracy,” a “technological powerhouse,” and a “key US partner in the Indo-Pacific.”</p>



<p>The text goes on to highlight the US and Taiwan’s shared values, strong economic ties, and “people-to-people” relationships and finishes by vowing to help “maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” by assisting the island with its defensive capabilities. ;</p>



<p>The update also added a reference to the ;<em>Six Assurances</em>, a set of promises made to Taiwan in 1982 by former US President Robert Reagan. ;</p>



<p><strong>The change has been widely interpreted as indicating a policy shift, though officials claim otherwise. </strong><strong></strong></p>



<p>“That fact sheet has not been updated in years,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. “You know that our fact sheets are regularly updated. I think we care most about ensuring that our relationships around the world are reflected accurately in our fact sheets.”</p>



<p>Chinese officials immediately condemned the update, which Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian described as a “petty act of fictionalizing and hollowing out the one-China principle,” and sent 18 jets screaming into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).</p>



<p>The ADIZ is an area more expansive than Taiwan’s official airspace that is patrolled in order to give the island more time to respond to an attack.</p>



<p>Taipei scrambled aircraft to meet the Chinese incursion, which included bombers, fighters, and anti-submarine aircraft.</p>



<p>Beijing said the exercise was designed to ‘test and improve combat capability’ but was also a direct response to ‘wrong signals’ sent by the US.</p>



<p>&#8220;The US bad actions and tricks are completely futile and very dangerous. Those who play with fire will burn themselves,&#8221; said Shi Yilu, a spokesman for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command.</p>



<p>China also sent 100 sorties from its Liaoning aircraft carrier towards Okinawa, a Japanese island near Taiwan that is home to a US military base. ;</p>



<p><br>“They’re testing out the endurance and capacity [of the Liaoning], and the last few cruises were testing things such as underway replenishment and endurance,” explained Taiwanese military consultant ;Liao “Kitsch” Yen-fan.</p>



<p>Meanwhile, the ;US continues to conduct freedom of navigation patrols through the Taiwan Strait and has sent at least two Navy warships to the area this month.</p>



<p>China claims the presence of US ships in the Taiwan Strait means Washington supports secessionist forces in Taiwan.</p>



<p><br>—</p>



<p>Taiwan split from China in 1949 during a Communist takeover and has been fighting for independence ever since. China claims ownership of the island and demands reunification even at the cost of military conflict.</p>



<p>China has not denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an event that has significantly escalated tensions between China and Taiwan but has strengthened the island’s relationship with the US.<br><br>“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not the first time an authoritarian regime invaded its neighbor and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last,” warned Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who recently introduced a bill to fast-track weapons sales to Taiwan and improve joint military training programs. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to start making China pay a greater price for what they are doing all over the world,&#8221; added Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who led a small delegation of US lawmakers to Ukraine earlier this month to meet with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen. &#8220;We will stand with you.&#8221;<br></p>



<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note:</strong> This is a tiny change in text that adds up to a substantial difference in outlook. Hate to credit the Biden Administration with gutsy move, but this is a step in the right direction.</p>



<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Postscript: </strong>Biden just announced that the US would intervene to defend Taiwan. This is a massive commitment and a de facto declaration of war. Biden did not have to do this. I knew he would screw it up.</p>



<p>References:</p>



<p>China rebukes US for changing Taiwan wording on State Department website</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china-slams-us-changing-taiwan-wording-state-department-website-2022-05-10/">https://www.reuters.com/world/china-slams-us-changing-taiwan-wording-state-department-website-2022-05-10/</a></p>



<p>China blasts US over wording change on State Department&#8217;s Taiwan website</p>



<p><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/10/china-rips-us-over-wording-change-on-state-dept-taiwan-website/">https://nypost.com/2022/05/10/china-rips-us-over-wording-change-on-state-dept-taiwan-website/</a></p>



<p>State Department changes wording on Taiwan document by STRIKING statement on US opposition to its independence amid ongoing invasion fears, prompting Beijing to complain about &#8216;political manipulation’</p>



<p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10801557/State-Dept-changes-wording-Taiwan-STRIKING-statement-U-S-opposition-independence.html">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10801557/State-Dept-changes-wording-Taiwan-STRIKING-statement-U-S-opposition-independence.html</a></p>



<p>China, US exchange barbs over military maneuvers near Taiwan</p>



<p><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/11/china-us-exchange-barbs-are-both-carry-out-drills-near-taiwan">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/11/china-us-exchange-barbs-are-both-carry-out-drills-near-taiwan</a></p>



<p>China says it conducted exercises near Taiwan</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/">https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/</a></p>



<p>Taiwan forced to scramble jets in response to China military drills</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/">https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/</a></p>



<p>Taiwan forced to scramble jets in response to China military drills</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/">https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-carried-out-drills-near-taiwan-2022-05-08/</a></p>



<p>China holds military drills around Taiwan as US delegation visits</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/china-holds-military-drills-around-taiwan-as-us-delegation-visits.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/china-holds-military-drills-around-taiwan-as-us-delegation-visits.html</a></p>



<p>China conducts fresh military drills around Taiwan as warning for US ‘bad actions’</p>



<p><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/china-holds-military-drills-around-taiwan-as-us-delegation-visits.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/15/china-holds-military-drills-around-taiwan-as-us-delegation-visits.html</a></p>

U.S. Shifts on Taiwan – China is Outraged
