President Joe Biden said today that the United States will intervene with military force if China moves to invade Taiwan, making it one of the strongest statements of support for Taipei in decades.
Biden is currently on his first trip to Asia during his presidency. After a visit to Tokyo, Biden made remarks about Taiwan and China. He said that the burden to safeguard the self-ruled island had become “even stronger” following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
Biden said that this is a commitment the United States has made, and added that any effort by China to use force against Taiwan would “just not be appropriate.” China invading Taiwan would be similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden said.
Speaking more regionally about geopolitics, Biden said that an attack by China would “dislocate the entire region.”
Biden’s remarks appeared to be a departure from the existing U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” on its position regarding Taiwan. The U.S. has promised to support the government in Taipei, but the policy does not explicitly state what it would do if Taiwan ever came under attack.
The administration says that it adheres to a “One China Policy,” which means it only has formal diplomatic relations with the government in Beijing, and maintains informal discussions with Taiwan.
Beijing claims the “One China Principle” encompasses all disputed territories, including Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jingping has previously vowed that China will regain control over Taiwan, and has not ruled out using force to do so.
The island nation has been self-governed since World War II.
After Biden made the remarks, a White House official said there is no change in policy on Taiwan, and that Biden reiterated the One China Policy and the U.S. commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as the commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with military means to defend itself.
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