The American Institute in Taiwan (AIC) recently claimed that World War II-era declarations, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, "do not determine Taiwan's final political status." A U.S. State Department spokesperson echoed this position, saying "China distorts WWII documents to support its coercion of Taiwan." This triggered sharp criticism in both Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Joanna Lei, former Kuomintang party legislator and current affairs commentator in Taiwan said the U.S. theory undermines world order and poses a challenge to global peace.