US military will defend Taiwan 'if it comes to that,' Biden says
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Biden stated that the U.S. will send the military to defend Taiwan if the People's Republic of China were to invade the island nation.
"Very quickly, you didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?" a reporter asked the president during a news conference in Japan.
"Yes," Biden replied.
"You are?" the reporter pressed.
"That's the commitment we made," the president said.
A White House spokesperson told Fox News that the administration's policy "has not changed."
"As the President said, our policy has not changed," the spokesperson said. "He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself."
The "One China policy" refers to the U.S. recognition of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, but only acknowledges, without endorsing, Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin considers Ukraine a part of historic Russia, and Xi considers Taiwan a part of China.
In October, Biden said the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacks. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson responded by saying, "No one should underestimate the strong resolve, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China has no room for compromise."
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
China launched military exercises in the disputed South China Sea as Biden's trip to East Asia began Friday.
Asia expert Gordon Chang, author of 'The Great US-China Tech War," said the Biden administration is trying to backtrack previous indications that America fears China by proceeding with Taiwan discussions in the face of public warnings from Chinese officials. Chang told "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday that China's recent military drill is "connected" to Biden's Asia visit because his joint statement with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol mentioned Taiwan directly.
"They are connected because, before Biden touched down in South Korea - the first stop on the trip - the Chinese publicly warned him not to talk about Taiwan and so there was the joint statement between President Biden and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, which specifically mentions Taiwan," Chang said. "There are going to be a lot of Taiwan discussions in Japan, the second and last stop on this trip - and so really what the United States was saying to Beijing is, "'I'm not afraid of you anymore.'"
"The reason the administration has to do that is because, in the last couple of weeks, the Biden team has done things that made it look like it was intimidated by China, which is the reason why the Chinese were very aggressive before the trip, because they thought they had Biden on the run," Chang added.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine upended Chinese President Xi Jinping's timetable to invade Taiwan, according to documents purportedly written by a Russian intelligence analyst in one of Moscow's security agencies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a commendation ceremony for role models of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the Great Hall of the People on April 8 in Beijing. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
"Xi Jinping was at least considering taking over Taiwan in the fall - he needs his own little victory to get re-elected for a third term - there the struggle within the elite is colossal," an agent in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor agency to the KGB, allegedly wrote on March 9.
"Now, after the Ukrainian events, this window of opportunity has been closed to him, which gives the United States the opportunity to both blackmail Xi and negotiate with its competitors on favorable terms," the FSB agent added. "It was in this case that we launched a trap mechanism for China with our actions."
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"Very quickly, you didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?" a reporter asked the president during a news conference in Japan.
"Yes," Biden replied.
Really?
If I'm Xi, I'll call and raise!
If I was Xi I'd consider Putin's Predicament and chill.
I'm not Xi. Neither are you, though I'm on Team USA.
Bull shit!
If I'm Xi, I'd be laughing at Biden. China is a very ancient culture, and it can be very patient and wait generations to achieve its goals.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to Biden’s comments.
“China has no room for compromise or concessions on issues involving China’s core interests such as sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
What are those goals?
I'm sure their goals are set out in their 5 year plans and 10 year plans but I didn't bother reading what they were, but they do accomplish their goals. It had a goal to eradicate abject poverty in 10 years and it accomplished it just short of the ten years. They have goals concerning climate control. I won't bother asking what America's goals are because the administration sets goals, such as BBB, but for various reasons many of its goals not only don't get accomplished, they don't even get started.
Wasn’t he in Caddyshack?
[jrEmbed module="jrYouTube" youtube_id="171FURqSIQc"]
Several weeks ago you stated that Putin held all the cards and now you are intimating that Xi does ... @!@
Actually, several months ago, before Putin invaded with his pathetic army.
and now you are intimating that Xi does ... @!@
Not really.
Words, words words....after all, Biden can't appear weak on China 6 months before the midterms. So how is Biden going to defend Taiwan anyway? The way he's defending Ukraine? How many 10 X $billions deeper in debt can America sink? Will Biden invade a nuclear power that has hypersonic delivery ICBMs with target accuracy? - America is a lot closer than Mars. How much richer will the American arms manufacturers get? Let's try to get real here.
President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States would be willing to intervene militarily if China were to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan. Shortly afterwards, however, a White House official appeared to walk back the president's remarks.
Will the real president please stand up.
Is there a text version of what the official said? Yahoo voluntarily ended its services in China last November - it was not blocked.
I'll take a look. If I find it I'll post it.
Right after my 50's style morning coffee.
Here is what they said............
We call it the Psaki shuffle. We are going to miss her!
I do have this much from the WSJ:
"Mr. Biden, in his Monday remarks, stressed that the U.S. remains committed to the bedrock “One China policy,” which recognizes the present rulers as the only legitimate government and acknowledges—but doesn’t endorse— Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is a part of the nation. But the president said that policy doesn’t give China the right to forcefully take over the island.
“We agree with the One China policy and all the attendant agreements we made. But the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, would just not be appropriate,” Mr. Biden said. “It would dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine. So, it’s a burden that is even stronger.”
He also played down the possibility that China would try to take Taiwan.
“My expectation is that it will not happen, it will not be attempted,” Mr. Biden said, adding that it is important for world leaders to send a strong message that there will be consequences if Beijing takes such action.
Taiwan is thankful to the U.S. for its “rock solid” commitment, foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said."
This is all I get when I try to open anything Yahoo, including my Yahoo mail.
Thanks Vic. That makes a lot more sense.
Seems that Biden is actively trying to do what the left said the previous administration would do. Get us involved in another war.
Trying and doing are two different things. They feared Trump. Nobody fears Biden.
Reporters: “Mr. President, would you be willing to put your foot in your mouth for us?”
Unca Joe: Well, lessee, umm. It’s a day ending in “Y,” so . . . Sure thing!
Time to head back to Delaware
It really doesn't matter what decision Biden makes on Taiwan or Ukraine, conservatives will bash him for whatever he does or says. If he's too hawkish they'll accuse him of risking American lives to defend some foreigners and he should be more 'America First', if he is too cautious they'll accuse him of being weak. Let's not pretend that any conservative Republicans are being honest and objective in their appraisal of Biden, all I hear from them everyday is bitter sour grape gripes for the last year and a half, and that's only when they're not regurgitation their Tangerine Tyrants big lie. When two thirds of Republicans still believe Trumps lie about the 2020 election, how can any of them discern truth or reason when it slaps them in the face, they are already predisposed to take whatever side is counter to the new administration.
Pretty standard stuff.
Democratic Presidents get bashed by Republicans no matter what, and Republican Presidents get bashed by Democrats.
Haven't you seen that over at least the last 20 years?
This isn't new, so no need to act as if Biden is special in that regard and being "picked on" by anyone.
Well, he's really not saying much. Aside from ";aldjfiopajpoi a;lkjdfkaludfio;u;iop." But it is cute that you think he has the ability to make a decision like that. Remember the last one he made regarding military operations? He stranded US Citizens in Afghanistan and caused the death of 13 service members.
I don't think so. If he had said, "Our policy hasn't changed and I'm not going to engage in hypotheticals," there wouldn't even be a story.
And if Trump had said what Biden said, the collective news media would spend the next week losing its whole freakin mind.
Only a week? Seems rather low. The media never forgot anything Trump said or tweeted.
He's been out of office for almost 2 years and they still blather on about him using his left hand to scratch his ass.