Joe Biden says America has a commitment to defend Taiwan
Joe Biden said he did not want to start a new Cold War with China.
President Joe Biden has finally broken his silence on the subject of China’s potential invasion of Taiwan. Speaking at a CNN Townhall hosted by Anderson Cooper, Cooper asked Biden if the United States would step up to defend the island nation in the event of an invasion.
Under China’s so-called “One China” policy, the sovereign nation of Taiwan is considered to be a part of China’s territory. China does not recognize the democratic leadership of the island nation, which has remained independent from the mainland since its founding in 1912.
“Yes,” said Biden when asked if he would defend Taiwan. “We have a commitment to that.”
Biden’s remarks stand at odds with the long-held policy known as “strategic ambiguity,” which calls for the United States to offer defensive support to Taiwan in the form of training and military equipment, but not explicitly come to the country’s aid against China.
According to AFP, Biden made a similar pledge in August during an interview with ABC, where he said that the United States would always defend its allies, including Taiwan. Biden’s remarks fell flat given that he was in the process of withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan as its democratically-elected government fell to the Taliban.
Biden said the United States made a “sacred commitment” to defend its allies in NATO, such as Canada and European countries and it’s “the same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with Taiwan.”
Following Biden’s remarks in the August interview, the White House backtracked to tell reporters that the country’s policy on Taiwan “has not changed,” suggesting that the U.S. would return to strategic ambiguity.
During the CNN Townhall meeting on Thursday, a member of the audience asked if the U.S. would be able to keep up with China’s rapid military advancements, prompting the President to say “Yes.”
“Don't worry about whether... they're going to be more powerful,” said Biden. “China, Russia and the rest of the world knows we have the most powerful military in the history of the world.”
Biden warned that America’s rivals may “engage in activities where they may make a serious mistake.”
Referring to his relationship with China’s President Xi Jinping, Biden said he did not want to start a new Cold War with China.
“I just want to make China understand that we are not going to step back,” Biden added.
As Rebel News previously reported, China has reportedly tested nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, which reportedly came as a shock to U.S. defence industry experts.
“The missile missed its target by about two-dozen miles, according to three people briefed on the intelligence,” the publication reported. “But two said the test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realized,” the Financial Times reported.
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