President Biden waves as first lady Jill Biden watches on the steps of Air Force One before boarding the plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Saturday.
Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
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Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
President Biden waves as first lady Jill Biden watches on the steps of Air Force One before boarding the plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Saturday.
Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
President Joe Biden says the US will defend Taiwan if China makes an “unprecedented attack” on the island, his latest in a string of clear-cut statements over the past year. unusual clarity about US intentions in the face of growing pressure from Beijing.
In an interview with the CBS news program 60 minutes aired on Sunday, Biden was asked whether US forces will protect Taiwan – an autonomous democracy located about 100 miles off the Chinese coast and claimed by Beijing as part of China.
“Yes, if fact, there was an unprecedented attack,” Biden replied.
Asked again if, unlike in Ukraine, American forces would be involved in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: “Yes.”
Above three Before occasion Since mid-2021, Biden has made similar public comments suggesting the US would engage in a conflict over Taiwan.
Some observers argue that these remarks contradict the administration’s long-standing preference for ambiguity over Taiwan’s defense as a way to discourage both China and Taiwan from taking steps to protect Taiwan. may change the status quo.
The White House said the comments did not represent a change in US policy.
After 60 minutes A White House spokesman said: “The President has said this before… He also made it clear that our Taiwan policy has not changed. That remains true.”
However, the interview is sure to anger Beijing, which has accused American politicians of sending “wrong signals” to Taiwanese who support formal independence.
China’s ruling Communist Party regards Taiwan as unfinished business from the civil war, which ended in 1949 with the defeated Kuomintang Party fleeing to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan back into the world – ideally by peaceful means, but by force if necessary.
Poll However, it shows that the majority of Taiwan’s 23 million people like the status quo and oppose reunification with China.
Mr. Biden said that the US does not encourage Taiwan’s independence – a red line for Beijing – but he added: “Taiwan makes its own assessment of its independence… it’s a decision… their.”
Via lawThe United States has a commitment to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Debate over what should look has become tense after Russia invaded Ukraine. China has also raised the balance of power across the Taiwan Strait by extensively modernizing its armed forces over the years.
While US officials insist US policy towards Taiwan has not changed, informal relations between Washington and Taipei have warmed as tensions between the US and China have worsened in recent years. .
In a phone call in July, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warning Biden opposes US meddling in Taiwan, saying “those who play with fire will eventually get burned.”
Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, becoming the highest-ranking US official to set foot on the island since Newt Gingrich arrived on the island as Speaker of the House in 1997. .
China was upset about the visit, and in the weeks since it conducted military exercises near Taiwan and flown fighter jets across the median line down the center of the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from Taiwan. Loan with the mainland.
