US President Joe Biden yesterday vowed that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack in his strongest statement to date on the issue.
Beijing is already “flirting with danger,” Biden said following talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, in which the pair agreed to monitor Chinese naval activity and joint Chinese-Russian exercises.
Asked if Washington was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, he replied: “Yes.”
Photo: AP
“That’s the commitment we made,” Biden said. “We agreed with the ‘one China’ policy, we signed on to it ... but the idea that it can be taken by force is just not appropriate, it would dislocate the entire region and would be another action similar to Ukraine.”
Biden directly linked the fates of Ukraine and Taiwan, saying that sanctions on Russia must exact a “long-term price,” because otherwise “what signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting to take Taiwan by force?”
He warned that Beijing was “flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the maneuvers undertaken,” referring to a growing number of Chinese sorties, naval exercises and other power projections in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: Reuters
In Washington, the White House said that Biden was not diverging from the US’ official “one China” policy, which includes the commitment to “provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.”
“Our policy has not changed,” an official said.
In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked Biden and the White House for their “rock solid” commitment to Taiwan.
The threat China poses to security in the Taiwan Strait is of great concern to the international community, Ou told reporters, adding that Taiwan’s determination to defend its freedom and democracy has never changed.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said that “no one should underestimate the firm resolve, staunch will and strong ability of the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“China has no room for compromise or concession,” Wang said.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK predicted that Biden’s comments would spark debate, as they appear to contradict the long-running US policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan.
Biden made similar comments in October last year when asked during a CNN town hall whether the US would come to Taiwan’s defense, responding: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”
In August last year, he listed Taiwan among nations the US has a commitment to defend in comments to ABC News.
In both instances, the White House made statements shortly afterward saying that US policy toward Taiwan had not changed.
Meanwhile, Kishida called for stability in the Taiwan Strait and said that Tokyo was committed to boosting its defense spending, a sensitive subject in a nation with constitutional limits on its military.
“Japan will fundamentally strengthen its defense capacity, and to back that up will significantly increase its defense spending,” Kishida told a news conference held with Biden. “We do not rule out any options, including [acquiring] the capacity to counterattack.”
Indonesia has sent hundreds of riot police to a tiny island after protests broke out against a China-backed project that would displace thousands of residents. About 1,000 people protested in Batam City on Monday over a plan to develop Rempang island into a Chinese-funded economic zone, including the construction of a multibillion-dollar glass factory, that would displace about 7,500 people. Some protesters clashed with security forces outside a government agency, wielding machetes, Molotov cocktails and stones, police said, adding that dozens were arrested. Beijing has poured money into infrastructure and resource projects in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and its investments have previously caused
‘HARASSMENT’: A record 103 Chinese warplanes were detected in 24 hours, posing severe challenges to security in the Taiwan Strait and the region, the ministry said Taiwan yesterday told China to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the nation. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the number of warplanes detected in 24 hours as a “recent high,” while Beijing has so far refrained from issuing any official comment on the sorties. “Between the morning of September 17th to 18th, the Ministry of National Defense had detected a total of 103 Chinese aircraft, which was a recent high and has posed severe challenges to the security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,”
China would be making “a grave strategic mistake” if it tried to attack Taiwan, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said in an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday. Asked by host Fareed Zakaria whether the US could repel a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Milley said: “It is entirely possible.” Milley reiterated that the US still maintains the Taiwan Relations Act, and that it wants “a peaceful outcome between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and whatever that is between those two peoples.” “Militarily, I think China would make a grave strategic mistake if they attempted to
CALL FOR PEACE: Czech President Petr Pavel raised concerns about China’s military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and its ‘unfriendly action’ in the South China Sea The leaders of three diplomatic allies — Guatemala, Paraguay and Palau — on Tuesday voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN on the first day of the UN General Debate in New York. In his address during the 78th UN General Assembly, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr urged the UN and all parties involved in cross-strait issues to exercise restraint and seek a peaceful resolution. “The well-being and prosperity of nations and their economies are intrinsically linked to global peace and stability,” he said. He also thanked partner nations such as Taiwan, Australia, Japan and the US for providing assistance
RSS