TOKYO (AP) – President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States intends to intervene militarily if China invades Taiwan and said the promise to protect the island is “stronger” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was one of the president’s strongest statements in support of Taiwan’s own government in decades.
“Yes” Biden said at a press conference in Tokyo when asked if he was willing to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if China invaded. “It’s a promise we made,” he added.
The U.S. has traditionally avoided providing explicit security guarantees to Taiwan that it no longer has a bilateral defense agreement, but maintains a policy of “strategic uncertainty” about how far they will go. The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which regulates American relations with the island, does not require the United States to take military action in the event of a Chinese invasion, but constitutes U.S. policy to provide Taiwan with its own defense resources. and avoid unilateral changes of state. of Beijing.
A White House spokesman said Biden’s comments did not reflect a change in U.S. policy.
However, his words were followed by a strong response from mainland China, who said Taiwan was a fraudulent province.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed “extreme dissatisfaction and strong opposition” to Biden’s comments. “China has no room for compromise or concessions on issues that are in China’s central interest, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He added that China will take decisive action to protect its sovereignty and security interests and we will do what we say.
Speaking to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden said that any attempt by China to use force against Taiwan would “not be appropriate”, adding that “it would remove the entire region and it would be another action. similar to what it is. success. in Ukraine “.
“They are misleading the threat now by flying very close and all the maneuvers being carried out,” Biden said of China.
According to the “One China” policy, the United States recognizes Beijing as the government of China and has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, the United States maintains informal contacts, with the de facto embassy in Taipei, the capital, and provides military equipment to defend the island.
Biden said his “expectation” was that China would not try to take Taiwan by force, but he also said that “it depends on how strong the world is that such action will lead to discontent in the long run. . ” The rest of the company. “
He added that China’s refusal to invade Taiwan is one of the reasons why it is important for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “pay a high price for his barbarism in Ukraine” so that China and other countries that such an action is acceptable.
Unwilling to fall into a nuclear -armed Russia, Biden quickly decided not to put U.S. forces in direct conflict with Russia. But the United States has sent billions of dollars in military aid to help Ukraine cope with a more brutal resistance to a Russian attack.
Taipei welcomed Biden’s statements, with State Department spokeswoman Joan Ou expressing “sincere congratulations and gratitude.”
“The Chinese challenge to the security of the Taiwan Strait has caused great concern in the international community,” he said. Taiwan will continue to strengthen its defense capabilities and deepen its cooperation with the United States, Japan and other allied countries to work together to maintain the security of the Taiwan Strait and establish a policy -based international order for peace, stability and promotion. “Development in the Indo-Pacific region”.
This is not the first time Biden has pledged to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression, followed by administration officials saying there has been no change in U.S. policy. CNN City Hall asked Biden in October to use the U.S. military to protect Taiwan, to which he replied, “Yes, we have a responsibility to do so.”
Taiwan is not the only foreign policy issue for which the White House clarified or retracted Biden’s comments. When Putin said this in March that he was a war criminal, JJ it Psaki, the press officer at the time, said that the president “spoke from the heart” even though no legal opinion had been reached on the matter.
Speaking in Poland in March, Biden said of Putin: “This man cannot stay in power.” White House officials have found it difficult to say that Biden has not called for regime change in Russia.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed on Sunday that Taiwan is not among the governments that have signed up to the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which aims to work more closely with the United States on major Asian economies such as the supply chain. , Clean energy and against corruption.
The annexation of Taiwan will irritate China.
Sullivan said the US wants to deepen their economic partnership with Taiwan up front.
Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.