President Joe Biden said that Washington could be directly involved in a conflict if China tries to take the island by force.
US President Joe Biden indicated on Monday that Washington is willing to use military force to defend Taiwan if necessary. Speaking at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, he said the United States sees China’s idea “going on” with his troops as unacceptable.
When asked if the United States would become directly involved in a conflict between China and Taiwan, including through the use of military force, Biden said “Yes,” adding that “It’s a commitment we made.” The US leader has previously said that Washington respects the ‘One Chinese’ policy, by which he recognizes that there is only one China led by Beijing.
Biden, however, maintained that China has no “jurisdiction to enter and use force to seize Taiwan.” The idea that the island nation “It can be taken by force, it’s just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region.” added the American president.
The American leader is on his first official tour of Asia. It is also the first time this century that such a trip has not included a visit to China. According to news outlet Nikkei Asia, deterring China has been one of the main topics in the talks between Biden and Kishida. The US President will be joined by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and Advisor to national security Jake Sullivan during the talks.
Biden is also scheduled to meet with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia on Tuesday during the so-called Quad Security Dialogue (Quad) summit. The US President is also expected to release the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework later on Monday. The trade pact is designed to deepen US cooperation with nations in the region in the fields of supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and fighting corruption.
The pact may eventually involve as many as 12 nations other than the US, including Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Taiwan will not be part of it, Sullivan confirmed on Sunday.
“We seek to deepen our economic partnership with Taiwan, including on high-tech issues, including the supply of semiconductors.” he said. “But we are pursuing that in the first instance on a bilateral basis.”
Taiwan recently accused China of repeatedly violating its defense zone. In early May, the island nation reported that China’s nuclear-capable bombers entered the area. Taiwan has been de facto self-governing since 1949, when remnants of the Nationalist government fled the mainland after its defeat in the civil war, but never formally declared independence from China. Beijing views the Taiwanese authorities as separatists and insists the island is an inalienable part of China.
Beijing has regularly displayed its military strength near the island, packing it with large units of aircraft and sending warships. Taiwan has also been a source of constant friction between China and the United States. The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei but enjoys close military cooperation with the island. Washington has also long proclaimed its commitment to protecting Taiwan. “independence.”