U.S to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion 

United States President Joe Biden has said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Biden, who made the statement in a television interview, said the US military would defend the self-governed island if there “was an unprecedented attack” by China.

Biden’s statement is his most explicit so far on the issue. The United States has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity” and not making clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan.

Asked to clarify further, Biden confirmed that U.S forces would defend Taiwan, unlike in Ukraine, where the U.S has only given material support and military equipment.

A White House spokesperson said U.S. policy towards Taiwan has not changed despite Biden’s statement.

“The President has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed. That remains true,” the spokesperson said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed its thanks to Biden for his reaffirming of the “U.S. government’s rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan”.

 Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States, it said in a statement.

In May, Biden was asked if he was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan and replied: “Yes … That’s the commitment we made.”

In the 60 Minutes interview, Biden reiterated the United States did not support Taiwanese independence and remained committed to a “One-China” policy in which Washington officially recognizes Beijing, not Taipei.

Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said if Biden made such pledges he needed to ensure he could back them up.

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 “If President Biden plans to defend Taiwan, then he should make sure the U.S. military has the capability to do so.

“Rhetorical support that isn’t backed up by real capabilities is unlikely to strengthen deterrence,” she said.

Biden’s Asia policy czar, Kurt Campbell, has in the past rejected any move to “strategic clarity” over Taiwan, saying there were “significant downsides” to such an approach.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has not ruled out the use of force. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims.

Zainab Sa’id