by Trevor Hunnicutt
BALTIMORE (Reuters) – The United States would go to Taiwan’s defense and is committed to defending the island China claims as its own, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday, but the White House later said that there has been no change in policy for the island.
“Yes, we are committed to doing that,” Biden said at a CNN news conference when asked whether the US would go to the defense of Taiwan, which complains of growing military and political pressure from Beijing to accept Chinese sovereignty.
While Washington is required by law to grant Taiwan the means to defend itself, it has long followed a directive of “strategic ambiguity” about military intervention to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
In August, a Biden administration official said US policy on the island had not changed after the president appeared to insinuate that the US would defend it if it was attacked.
A White House spokesman said at the press conference Biden was not announcing any change in approach and that “there is no change in our policy”, but declined to comment further when asked if Biden was wrong.
“The US defense relationship with Taiwan is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act. We will maintain our commitment in accordance with the law, we will continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense, and we will continue to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo,” he said. the spokesperson.
China expressed displeasure nonetheless. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the country had no room for concessions in its core interests.
China urges the US “not to send the wrong signals to Taiwan’s independence forces to avoid seriously undermining Sino-US ties and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin in Beijing .
The Taiwanese presidential cabinet said its position remains the same, which is neither to give in to pressure nor to “move forward” when supported.
Taiwan will show a steadfast determination to defend itself, presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang said in a statement, adding that the Biden administration’s continued concrete actions show its support “steadfast as a rock” for the island.
Biden said people shouldn’t worry about Washington’s military might because “China, Russia and the rest of the world know that we are the most powerful military in the history of the world.”
(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Gabriel Crossley in Beijing and Ben Blanchard in Taipei)
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