Biden dares not say how to ‘defend Taiwan’ even in ‘slip of the tongue’
The US would come to Taiwan’s defense if the island faces a Chinese mainland “incursion,” US President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday. The strongest comments from the 78-yearold leader were believed as challenging Chinese mainland’s redline and also deviating from Washington’s “strategic ambiguity” on the Taiwan question.
Despite the White House attempting to clarify Biden’s comments to calm the situation, saying the president was “not announcing any change in our policy and there is no change in our policy,” China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday warned the US that China has no room for compromise when it comes to safeguarding sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
No one should underestimate the strong resolve, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, urging the US to not “stand against the 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
When asked about whether the US would protect Taiwan if China attacked in a CNN town hall meeting on Thursday night, Biden said “Yes,” and the US has “a commitment to do that,” US media reported.
Observers said the overall US policy toward the Taiwan question is becoming clearer, and that China should not interpret some of the US moves seeking cooperation with China as signs of softening. Moreover, the argument of “internal hawkish pressure in the US” as a reason for being tough on China is hardly impressing Chinese experts.
Experts believe that Biden’s remarks should not be seen as a slip of the tongue or an accident. China needs to intensify its negotiations with the US in diplomacy, and in military, China should be fully prepared for tactical interventions by the US.
In August this year,
Biden said that South Ko
rea, NATO and Taiwan island are fundamentally different from Afghanistan when it comes to US security commitments, in an interview with ABC. Observers believe that his remarks seem to confuse the island with other allies that have formal security guarantees from the US.
The US is in the process of constantly clarifying its strategy on the Taiwan question, including so-called Taiwan-related legislation passed in the Trump era, Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
Experts said looking at the larger picture, the US’ signals on the Taiwan question are still vague. Considering the need for cooperation with the Chinese mainland, some US politicians are considering whether to inherit such rhetoric popular during the Trump era.
“Biden is trying to convince himself of what to avoid, but at the same time he can’t let go of this hyped-up obsession on certain issues,” Diao said, noting if this contradiction remains for a long term, there can only be one explanation: Biden wants to see a clash happen in the Taiwan Straits but doesn’t want to take responsibility if that happens, which is extremely dangerous.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that compared with the US government’s tendencies to remove strategic ambiguity, US strategic analysis on the Taiwan question has a clearer argument, but this clarity shows US efforts to “defend” Taiwan island would be very limited, and it is more about helping the island improve its self-defense capacity and making money by doing so.
The aim is to make the Chinese mainland pay more if it ever uses force to promote reunification, including military sacrifices, as well as to ensure the mainland is politically isolated after realizing reunification, the expert said.
“So far, not a single US government official has spelt what ‘defending Taiwan’ means if done by the US. Does it mean sending US troops to confront the PLA? No one has ever explained in detail,” said Lü, noting ambiguity still exists, and no one dares to explain it clearly.
Even if China is not yet a lion, it is at least a strong bull today. The US said it would engage China from a position of strength. China can totally say exactly the same, said Lü.
During the National Day holidays, China sent more than 150 aircrafts to Taiwan island’s selfproclaimed southwest air defense identification zone. “It is a warning to the US that if Washington takes risks, Beijing’s countermeasures will shock it,” the expert said.
Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, said that to have meaningful military relations with Taiwan, the US would have to establish a major headquarters unit in Taiwan that would cost billions of dollars just to set up. In addition, the US doesn’t have forces that are available to go to Taiwan. All our forces are dedicated to NATO, to the Middle East, he said.
“Domestic pressure” can be used as a bargaining chip for countries to gain leverage at the negotiating table, Diao said, suspecting that Biden’s “defending-Taiwan” rhetoric may be driven more by his own will than by opposition pressure.
Biden has not yet shown dominant strength in handling US domestic affairs. But he is tough on external affairs. He assumes that he has rich experience in this regard. If he has clear targets, he will not be constrained by so-called pressure, Diao said.