China has rebuked the United States after the U.S. State Department remove a statement from its website declaring it 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.

The page also added a reference to Taiwan's cooperation with a Pentagon technology and semiconductor development project and says the U.S. will support Taiwan's membership in international organizations "where applicable.