Biden: US would intervene with military to defend Taiwan | AP News
Category: News & Politics
Via: texan1211 • 2 years ago • 11 commentsBy: JOSH BOAK, AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER M (AP NEWS)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By JOSH BOAK, AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLERMay 23, 2022 GMT1 of 2
TOKYO (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is "even stronger' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was one of the most forceful presidential statements in support of self-governing in decades.
Biden, at a news conference in Tokyo, said "yes" when asked if he was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if China invaded. "That's the commitment we made," he added.
The U.S. traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan, with which it no longer has a mutual defense treaty, instead maintaining a policy of "strategic ambiguity" about how far it would be willing to go if China invaded. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed U.S. relations with the island, does not require the U.S. to step in militarily to defend Taiwan if China invades, but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status in Taiwan by Beijing.
Biden's comments drew a sharp response from the mainland, which has claimed Taiwan to be a rogue province.
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 added, "China will take firm action to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests, and we will do what we say."
A White House official said Biden's comments did not reflect a policy shift.
Speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden said any effort by China to use force against Taiwan would "just not be appropriate," adding that it "will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine."
China has stepped up its military provocations against democratic Taiwan in recent years aimed at intimidating it into accepting Beijing's demands to unify with the communist mainland.
"They're already flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the maneuvers that are undertaken," Biden said of China.
Under the "one China" policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the government of China and doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, the U.S. maintains unofficial contacts including a de facto embassy in Taipei, the capital, and supplies military equipment for the island's defense.
Biden said it is his "expectation" that China would not try to seize Taiwan by force, but he said that assessment "depends upon just how strong the world makes clear that that kind of action is going to result in long-term disapprobation by the rest of the community."
He added that deterring China from attacking Taiwan was one reason why it's important that Russian President Vladimir Putin "pay a dear price for his barbarism in Ukraine," lest China and other nations get the idea that such action is acceptable.
Fearing escalation with nuclear-armed Russia, Biden quickly ruled out putting U.S. forces into direct conflict with Russia, but he has shipped billions of dollars in U.S. military assistance that has helped Ukraine put up a stiffer-than-expected resistance to Russia's onslaught.
Taipei cheered Biden's remarks, with Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Joanne Ou expressing "sincere welcome and gratitude" for the comments.
"The challenge posed by China to the security of the Taiwan Strait has drawn great concern in the international community," said Ou. "Taiwan will continue to improve its self-defense capabilities, and deepen cooperation with the United States and Japan and other like-minded countries to jointly defend the security of the Taiwan Strait and the rules-based international order, while promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region."
It's not the first time Biden has pledged to defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack, only for administration officials to later claim there had been no change to American policy. In a CNN town hall in October, Biden was asked about using the U.S. military to defend Taiwan and replied, "Yes, we have a commitment to do that."
Biden's comments came just before he formally launched a long-anticipated Indo-Pacific trade pact that excludes Taiwan.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed Sunday that Taiwan isn't among the governments signed up for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which is meant to allow the U.S. to work more closely with key Asian economies on issues like supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and anticorruption.
Inclusion of Taiwan would have irked China.
Sullivan said the U.S. wants to deepen its economic partnership with Taiwan on a one-to-one basis.
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Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
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When will Joe's handlers finally get the message that he goes off-script way too often?
How many times will we have to hear the WH walking back Biden's statements?
For example, there is this...
From the WSJ:
Our involvement in Ukraine failed so Biden's looking for somewhere else to get a war going. All to distract from this dumpster fire administration.
SEATO does not allow for a unilateral defense by the U.S. of Taiwan. WTF is the WH thinking now???
Do you really think Biden thought about his answer?
That's the thing. They aren't thinking. The occupant of the WH hasn't made a correct decision in 50 years. Why would he start now.
Isn't that "The American Way"?
First two words to come out of the Biden White House handlers and staff was "Oh s#*t!
So Brandon is going to reinvade Taiwan; after China invades it?
China can sneeze and be inside Taiwan. The US has no way of moving assets (that are mostly tied up in Ukraine and the surrounding area right now) to Taiwan quick enough to stop a Chinese invasion.
Hopefully his military advisors get a hold of him and set him straight; until he forgets everything they said 5 minutes later. They need to remind him that 1) China has nuclear weapons that can reach us; maybe not as many as Russia- but more than enough to take us out. 2) Chinese troops are not Russian troops; and we would basically be fighting a war against the Chinese mainland. Hand him a good book about the Korean war and have him read it. Then tell him to imagine wave after wave of Chinese troops hitting US positions as they try to retake Taiwan.
If China wants Taiwan they are going to take it. There isn't anything we can do about short of starting WWIII. "Save Taiwan by destroying it!"
And the left complained about Trump's mouth.
"And the left complained about Trump's mouth."
Can you imagine the outrage and uproar if Trump had said the exact same words