The Biden administration is reportedly considering allowing Taipei to use the name 'Taiwan' for its office in Washington, a move that would anger Beijing, which lays claim to the democratically ruled island.
Details emerged on Friday, hours after President Biden held his second call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since becoming president in an attempt to thaw frosty relations.
Several people familiar with internal discussions told the Financial Times that Washington was seriously considering a request from Taiwan to change the name of its mission from the 'Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office' to 'Taiwan Representative Office.'
One source said the idea had the backing of Kurt Campbell, White House Asia adviser, as well as State Department Asia officials and wide support within the National Security Council.
But any change would likely trigger the fury of China.
It claims Taiwan as its own and has pressured foreign companies and governments to refer to the island as Chinese territory.
President Biden (r) risks triggering an angry response from Chinese leader Xi Jinping if his administration goes ahead with a proposal to allow Taiwan to change the name of its mission in Washington from the 'Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office' to 'Taiwan Representative Office.'
China has pressured host countries not to allow Taiwan to use 'Taiwan' or 'Republic of China' in the names of their representative offices around the world
The Chinese embassy in Washington warned the Biden administration against any change.
'It must stop any official interaction with Taiwan, refrain from sending any wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces or attempting to challenge China’s bottom line, and properly and prudently handle Taiwan-related matters, so as not to seriously damage China-US relations and cross-Strait peace and stability,' an embassy spokesperson told the newspaper.
The National Security Council declined to comment.
The report emerged amid intense scrutiny of Biden's position on Taiwan as he ratchets up tension with China.
The status of the island is one