In his most direct comment to date on the subject, US President Joe Biden stated that the US military would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion during an interview that was aired on Sunday.
In response to a question about whether the US military would protect the autonomous island that China claimed, he said in a CBS 60 Minutes interview: “Yes, if there was an unprecedented attack.”
When asked to clarify, Biden said, “Yes,” when asked if he meant that, unlike in Ukraine, US forces—men and women—would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
The interview wasn’t the first time Biden seemed to disagree with the US’s official position on Taiwan. However, his statement that US troops would be sent to defend the island was clearer than previous ones.
A White House representative was contacted for a response and stated that US policy towards Taiwan had not changed. ” The President has previously stated this, most recently earlier this year in Tokyo. He also made it clear at the time that our policy toward Taiwan hadn’t changed. That is still accurate, the spokeswoman declared.
Biden’s interview with CBS took place last week. At Monday’s funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the president will be in Britain.
The United States has always taken a position that doesn’t say whether or not it would use force to defend Taiwan.
When asked in May if he would be willing to use military force to defend Taiwan, Biden responded, “Yes, that’s the pledge we made.”
In the 60 Minutes interview, Biden said again that Washington was committed to the “One-China” policy, which recognises Beijing instead of Taipei, and that Washington did not support Taiwanese independence.