Biden says US would defend Taiwan
His suggestion that the US military would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan from China angered Beijing and forced the White House later to walk back the comments
TOKYO/BEIJING: President Joe Biden said the US military would intervene to defend Taiwan in any attack from China, comments that appeared to break from the longstanding US policy of “strategic ambiguity” before they were walked back by White House officials.
Asked during a press briefing on Monday in Tokyo whether the US would be willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan after not doing so in Ukraine, Biden said “yes - it’s a commitment we made.”
“We agree with the One China policy, we signed onto it and all the attendant agreements made from there,” Biden added. “But the idea that - that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not - it’s just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.”
“It’s a burden that’s even stronger,” he added.
“They (China) are already flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the manoeuvres that they are undertaking,” Biden said, referring to the increasing instances of Chinese fighter jets flying into Taiwan’s self-declared air defence zone across the Taiwan Strait.
Earlier in the briefing, Biden had said that US policy towards Taiwan “has not changed at all”.
A White House spokeswoman repeated that comment after Biden’s remarks, saying the president reiterated the US’s “One China Policy” and its commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.
White House officials later said that Biden simply meant the US would provide military equipment to Taiwan, not send troops to defend the island if China attacks, which would constitute a landmark shift in policy.
Since taking office, Biden has repeatedly used language about Taiwan that appeared to alter policy in place since around the time the US switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Last year, Biden or his aides needed to clarify his remarks on Taiwan on at least four separate occasions, including his description of the island as “independent” - China’s oft-stated red line for an invasion.
His comments on Monday were particularly striking because they came at a high-profile event on his first trip to Asia. The US policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan, which Biden has backed repeatedly during his time in Washington, is intended to minimise the risk of a direct conflict with China, which claims the separately governed island as part of its territory despite never controlling it.
Biden’s remarks angered Beijing, which has warned the US repeatedly over its increased support for Taiwan. On Monday, China warned the US should not underestimate its “strong ability” to safeguard the country’s territory.
No one should underestimate China’s “firm resolve, staunch will and strong ability” to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
Wang said the US should follow the “One China” principle and stipulations in the three China-US joint communiques, and honour its commitment to not support “Taiwan independence”.
Taiwan thanked Biden for his remarks, saying they showed the US’s promises towards the island were “rock solid”.
“Our government remains unwavered in its resolve to firmly defend Taiwan’s freedom, democracy and security,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “We will continue to enhance our self-defence capabilities, and deepen cooperation with like-minded countries including the US and Japan to jointly safeguard security in the Taiwan Strait and rule-based international order.”
Separately, Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi, addressing a multilateral over video link launched another salvo of criticism against the US.
Wang urged Asia-Pacific countries to reject any attempt to introduce military bloc or camp confrontation into the region, in a reference to the Quad - a grouping of US, India, Australia, and Japan, which is set to hold and in-person summit of its leaders on Tuesday.
Wang made the remarks while delivering a virtual speech at the opening ceremony of the 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
“We should unswervingly safeguard peace and stability, firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and unequivocally reject any attempt to introduce military blocs and bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region,” Wang said. “The peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is not only about the fate of the region, but also about the future of the world.”