Taiwan called on the United States not to cause “unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding” after President Joe Biden’s administration deleted a Twitter post that included the Taiwan flag Wednesday.
According to Reuters, the White House COVID-19 Response Team tweeted an image providing details to global vaccine donations, including those sent to Taiwan last month. The image included the sovereign island nation’s flag.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen retweeted the post, writing, “Thank you to the U.S. for your generosity. Together, we will beat this pandemic.”
After the post was removed, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou expressed concern, warning against causing misinterpretations.
“Regarding the reason for the deletion of this tweet, as the media has different interpretations, the Foreign Ministry has asked the representative office in the United States to remind the United States not to cause unnecessary speculation or misunderstanding from all walks of life due to the removal of the related tweet,” she said.
When asked about the deleted post, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called it an “honest mistake,” adding that the administration remains “committed to our one China policy based on the Taiwan Relations Act.”
