China has accused the Trump administration of “serious regression” in its position on Taiwan, after the State Department removed a line from its website stating that the US does not support Taiwan independence.

The State Department told local media the revision was a routine update, not a policy change. But it provoked anger from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory.

China accused the United States of a “serious regression” in its position on Taiwan, after the State Department updated the Taiwan section of its website.

The U.S. State Department's Taiwan page last week removed a previous reference to not supporting Taiwan's independence.