US President Joe Biden has threatened China with a military response if the country invades Taiwan. “That is the commitment that we have made,” said Biden when asked by journalists.
According to US President Joe Biden, the US would also defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an attack. China has no right to take Taiwan by force, Biden emphasized at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday in Tokyo. China’s behavior, including military maneuvers and flights near the island, “flirts with danger,” Biden said. However, he does not assume that China will actually try to attack Taiwan.
When asked by a journalist whether the United States would also defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an attack, Biden said: “Yes.” When asked by the reporter, Biden emphasized: “This is a commitment that we have made.”
Taking Taiwan by force would destabilize the entire region and be similar to what happened in Ukraine, Biden said, referring to Russia’s war of aggression. “We remain committed to supporting cross-strait peace and stability and ensuring there is no unilateral change in the status quo,” Biden said, referring to the strait between mainland China and Taiwan.
China reacted clearly to Biden’s statements and emphasized the defense of its national interests. “No one should underestimate the Chinese people’s firm determination, unwavering will and strong ability in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday.
“You can’t stand against 1.4 billion Chinese,” he warned. “The Taiwan question is a purely internal matter for China.” There is “no room for compromise or concession” in this case.
Biden had already declared at the end of last year that the United States had an “obligation” to assist Taiwan in the event of an attack. The communist leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it.
The United States has committed itself to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself – which has so far primarily meant arms deliveries. The question of military assistance in the event of an attack was deliberately left open because Beijing saw it as a violation of the “One China Doctrine”. With this “strategic ambiguity” by the US, Beijing should remain unsure what the US would do in the event of war.
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