The US apologized to China for a typographical error in a White House’s press release where  Chinese President Xi Jinping was mistakenly described  as the leader of Taiwan, Reuters reported quoting Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang.

He noted that Beijing has demanded explanations from Washington, but the United States said that this was a technical mistake and corrected it.

In a statement issued Saturday about a G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany between Chinese president Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump, the White House press office described Xi as president of the Republic of China, the formal name for Taiwan. Communist China, led by Xi, is called the People's Republic of China.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Beijing insists that Taiwan is part of its territory.