The US remains committed to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and will ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
In an interview on CNN’s State of Union, Blinken said that there has been no change in the US’ approach to Taiwan.
Asked about US President Joe Biden’s remarks that Washington would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack from China, Blinken told the host, Dana Bash: “There is no change in our policy.”
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“We’ve had a long-standing commitment that, by the way, then-senator Biden strongly supported when he was in the United States Senate, a long-standing commitment pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act to make sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself, and we stand by that,” he said.
“The president stood by that strongly, and we want to make sure that no one takes any unilateral action that would disrupt the ‘status quo’ with regard to Taiwan. That hasn’t changed,” he said.
On Oct. 21, when asked by host Anderson Cooper during a CNN town hall meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, whether the US “would come to Taiwan’s defense if China attacked,” Biden replied: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”
Bash repeatedly asked Blinken to confirm Biden’s statement that the US would defend Taiwan in case of an attack from China.
Blinken would only say that Washington remained “resolutely” committed to the TRA.
The TRA is the law that defines the substantial, but non-diplomatic ties between the US and Taiwan after Washington shifted its recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979. It has served as the cornerstone of US-Taiwan relations.
Under the act, Washington commits to providing Taiwan the means to defend itself, but it does not state that the US would enter battle to defend Taiwan.
“What I can tell you is that we remain committed, resolutely committed, to our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act, including making sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself from any aggression,” Blinken said.
On Friday, American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk also said in her first news conference that there has been no change in US policy toward Taiwan, adding that the US considered peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait central to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region and the US.
Earlier on Sunday, Blinken raised his concerns about the US’ allies and partners, including Taiwan, in a meeting with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said.
Price said that Blinken expressed concerns about a range of Chinese actions “that undermine the international rules-based order, and that run counter to our values and interests, and those of our allies and partners, including actions related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China seas, and Taiwan.”
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