Biden vows to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion, Beijing fires back
India Today
US President Joe Biden has unequivocally said that American troops would defend Taiwan in the eventuality of a Chinese invasion, prompting a sharp reaction from Beijing.
As an increasingly aggressive China flexes its military muscles, US President Joe Biden once again came on record to state that American troops would defend Taiwan in case of a Chinese invasion.
Asked in a CBS interview if US forces would defend the democratically governed island if the People's Liberation Army mounts an “unprecedented attack”, Biden replied with an unequivocal “yes”.
Biden was doubling down on his assertion made in Japan earlier this year, when he said the US would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan.
The US president's remarks were the latest sign of a shift away from a policy of “strategic ambiguity” towards Taiwan, contrary to the White House’s stance that there has been no policy change with regards to the self-ruled island.
Taiwan welcomed Biden's emphatic words, which it said reflected the US government’s “rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan". Taipei said it would continue to deepen its "close security partnership" with Washington.
On the other hand, a furious Beijing denounced US president’s remarks on Taiwan, saying they “severely violate” long-standing US policy over the self-ruled island.
In the CBS interview, Biden reiterated the United States remained committed to a "One-China" policy in which Washington officially recognises Beijing not Taipei, and said America was not encouraging Taiwanese independence.
