(Baltimore) U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States was ready to defend Taiwan militarily during an attack by China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory.
“Yes, we have a commitment to that,” Joe Biden told Baltimore voters on CNN.
The president’s statement goes against so-called “strategic ambiguity” in US policy, which allows Washington to build and strengthen its defenses in Taiwan without explicitly promising assistance in the event of an attack.
During an interview with ABC this summer, the US president spoke about the “sacred commitment” to protecting NATO allies in Canada and Europe, as well as “Japan, Korea, the South and Taiwan.”
Following Joe Biden’s statements on Thursday night, he told White House reporters: “US policy on Taiwan has not changed.”
Photo by Jonathan Editor
US President Joe Biden
Asked if the United States could respond to the development of military programs in China, Biden said no.
“Don’t worry about that … they will be very powerful,” he said. “We know that China, Russia and other parts of the world have the most powerful military capabilities in the world,” he added.
However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat America’s rival nations.
“Does not trust” China in Taiwan
However, he reiterated his desire not to engage in a new Cold War with Beijing.
During a news conference on Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun was asked about the Taiwanese document and insisted that his country was not under attack.
China is in a “security” position. “We are fighting to protect our sovereignty and our territorial integrity,” he said.
“We are not the problem makers. On the contrary, some countries, especially the United States, are taking dangerous steps that could directly lead to a dangerous situation in Taiwan,” he added.
“We must call on the United States to end this practice. Pulling Taiwan into a wall will not benefit anyone,” the Chinese diplomat said.
China and the United States face off on a number of issues in the context of the Cold War, but the Taiwan issue alone is seen as one that could provoke an armed conflict.
The next ambassador to Beijing, Industrial Diplomat Nicholas Burns, said on Wednesday that China should not be “trusted” in Taiwan and suggested selling more weapons to the island to strengthen its security.
Mr. He condemned the recent Chinese incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
The United States has recognized the People’s Republic of China since 1979, but at the same time the US Congress must provide arms to Taiwan for its defense.
The island has had its own government since the Communists’ conquest of mainland China in 1949, but Beijing regards the territory as one of its provinces and threatens to use force if the island formally declares independence.
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently reaffirmed his desire for a “peaceful” reunification.
