Old and new versions of the US Department of State’s online fact sheet on Taiwan are pictured in a composite screen grab, with notable changes highlighted for emphasis.
Photo: Screen grab and graphic by the Taipei Times

Changes to the US Department of State’s fact sheet on Taiwan indicate a significant warming in relations between the two nations, an academic said yesterday, as Beijing denounced them as “political manipulation.”

The department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs on Thursday updated its online fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations, removing statements saying that Washington acknowledged Beijing’s “one China” position and did not support Taiwanese independence.