9 January 2025

The U.S. State Department has removed a statement from its website that previously declared its opposition to Taiwan’s independence.

While the updated fact sheet still expresses Washington’s stance against unilateral changes to Taiwan’s status—whether by Taiwan or China, which considers the democratically governed island part of its territory—it no longer includes the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence.” Instead, the page now highlights Taiwan’s collaboration with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project and reaffirms U.S. support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations “where applicable.”

Although the U.S. does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it remains the island’s most significant international ally, legally obligated to help ensure its defense.

“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” the State Department website reads in the update posted on Thursday. “We expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait.”