A map of mainland China was completely removed from the press conference room of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council as tensions between Taipei and Beijing continue to escalate.

Earlier this month, the self-ruled island announced that it would redesign its passport cover by enlarging the font size for “Taiwan” while shrinking the words “Republic of China.” This week, local media outlets also noticed that the map of mainland China was completely removed from the press conference backdrop of the MAC, the top government body tasked with handling policies relating to mainland China. The backdrop also no longer featured any blue, a color tightly linked to the Nationalist Party.

The removal of the map from the MAC press conference room was detected on Thursday, according to Apple Daily Taiwan.

Chiu Chui-cheng, the council’s deputy minister, denied that such changes reflected any policy shifts. He added that cross-strait relations should lead both sides to prosperity and peace, but dialogue should be conducted on a democratic and equal basis.

Cross-strait relations have become increasingly fraught, as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party have repeatedly pushed back against Beijing.

Earlier this month, multiple Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan’s airspace just as the island received a visit from a high-ranking official of the U.S. State Department. The intrusion prompted warnings from Taiwan’s military.

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