On May 5, the U.S. Department of State updated its bilateral relations fact sheet on Taiwan . There were many changes. Particularly worth noting is the second paragraph.

Updates: “The United States has a longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances. Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship as well as an abiding interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available defense articles and services as necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. The United States continues to encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan.”

Previous version: “The United States does not support Taiwan independence. Maintaining strong, unofficial relations with Taiwan is a major U.S. goal, in line with the U.S. desire to further peace and stability in Asia. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act provides the legal basis for the unofficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan, and enshrines the U.S. commitment to assist Taiwan in maintaining its defensive capability. The United States insists on the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences, opposes unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and encourages both sides to continue their constructive dialogue on the basis of dignity and respect.”

Sources:
1. U.S. Department of State Website, May 5, 2022

U.S. Relations With Taiwan

2. Way Back Machine
https://web.archive.org/web/20190608140339/https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of the American people regard China as the main competitor of United States. Most of them have no confidence in the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s handling of international affairs. Younger Americans are less concerned than older Americans about the cross-Taiwan-strait tensions. China has so far refused to condemn Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. Around 62 percent of the respondents were concerned about the China-Russian partnership. Among those polled, 47 percent are worried about China’s influence on U.S. policy, 43 percent are worried about China’s military power, and 35 percent each are worried about China’s economic competition and Taiwan Strait tensions. In the past year, the proportion of Americans who have a negative view of China has also increased, reaching 82 percent, of which 40 percent felt very negative. There are significant differences in the perceptions of China between older Americans and younger generations, with older Americans holding more negative views of China. With regard to Xi Jinping as a leader on the international stage, about 41 percent of the respondents said they had no confidence at all, and 42 percent were not very confident. Only 15 percent of the respondents had confidence that Xi Jinping can handle international affairs properly.

Source: UDN, April 28, 2022
https://udn.com/news/story/6809/6274984

A 10,000-word article on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website criticized the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for its ties to the CIA, for subverting the legitimate governments of other countries and cultivating pro-U.S. puppet forces under the guise of promoting democracy. The article, published days before the 2022 China-Europe Human Rights Symposium on May 10, is seen as a wave of Chinese offensives aimed at setting the agenda for the discourse.

“A List of Facts about the American National Endowment for Democracy” stated that the NED has been involved in staging several color revolutions around the world for more than 30 years, including the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 and the Arab Spring in 2010.

The article also accused NED of colluding with local political groups, interfering in the political agenda of other countries, meddling in Hong Kong elections and interfering in China’s internal affairs.

The article points out that the NED, through its subordinate National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), contacted and provided financial support to Hong Kong opposition political groups and organizations. In 2014, it even instructed and funded the Hong Kong opposition, radical youth groups to plan the movement of Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP).

The article also says that NED invests huge amounts of money every year to carry out anti-China projects in an attempt to incite Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibetan independence and it is the main source of funding for many Xinjiang independence groups, providing about 1.24 million (US$, about S$1.72 million) to various “Xinjiang independence” forces in 2020 alone.

The article pointed out that from 2003 to the present, NED was behind the scenes in organizing, planning, directing and channeling funds in many large-scale street movements in Hong Kong, such as the OCLP and anti-extradition law demonstrations. In the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition law movement, NED was accused of moving from behind the scenes to the front, directly engaging with the key people in the anti-China rebellion in Hong Kong, granting subsidies and conducting training to those involved in the riots, a figure around $640,000 that year.

Other accusations include claims that the NED has been generating false information, hyping anti-government rhetoric, funding activities and academic programs, and engaging in ideological infiltration.

The article also mentions Taiwan, where NED President Damon Wilson led a delegation to visit Taiwan and held a press conference to announce that he will cooperate with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy to hold the Global Congress of the World Movement for Democracy in Taipei in October 2022, backing up the forces of Taiwan independence under the guise of democracy.

Source: Chinese Foreign Ministry, May 7, 2022
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/zyxw/202205/t20220507_10683088.shtml