US President Joe Biden poses for a photo in London on September 18, 2022. In an interview that aired Sunday, Biden said that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. strategy, his clearest statement to date on the matter.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | beautiful pictures
US President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired Sunday that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his clearest statement to date on the matter.
When asked in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview whether US forces would defend the self-ruled island claimed by China, he replied: “Yes, if in fact there was one unprecedented attack.”
Asked to clarify what he meant that, unlike in Ukraine, US forces, men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: “Yes.”
The interview was only the most recent where Biden appeared to go further than longstanding US policy on Taiwan, but his statement was clearer than previous occasions about sending US troops to defend the island.
Asked for comment, a White House spokesman said US policy towards Taiwan has not changed. “The president has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. At the time, he also made it clear that our Taiwan policy has not changed. That remains true,” the spokesman said.
CBS’s interview with Biden was done last week. The President is in the UK for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Monday.
The United States has long stuck with a policy of not stating whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan.
In May, Biden was asked if he would be willing to join the military to defend Taiwan and replied: “Yes… That’s the commitment we made.”
In the “60 Minutes” interview, Biden reiterated that the United States does not support Taiwan independence and remains committed to the “One China” policy, in which Washington officially recognizes Beijing, not Taipei.
