Washinhgton: The United States on Friday strives to prevent escalation with China, say no change in Taiwan’s policy after President Joe Biden promised to defend the island from Beijing.
Tensions have surged in the past few months because Beijing submitted an air strike near Taiwan, democracy in power alone that the growing power of Asia has vowed one day to take over, forcefully if necessary.
On the CNN television forum in Baltimore on Thursday night, Biden was asked whether the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense if China stormed.
“Yes,” he replied.
“We have a commitment to it.” Biden’s statement appears contrary to US policies that have long argued “strategic ambiguity”, where Washington helped build Taiwan defenses but did not explicitly promise to come to the island assistance in terms of war.
The White House clarified Friday that it was still guided by Taiwanese relations in 1979, where the congress needed the United States to provide weapons to “allow Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities.” “The President does not announce changes in our policy and there are no changes in our policy,” said a White House spokesman.
“We will enforce our commitment under the action to support Taiwan’s defense, and we will continue to oppose any unilateral changes in the status quo,” said the spokesman.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, refused to discuss “hypotheses” but said the United States “will continue to help Taiwan with the type of ability to be maintained”.
This policy is designed to block China’s invasion but also prevent Taiwan from officially declaring independence – something that is considered a red line.
Biden’s comments were welcomed on Friday by Taiwan, who had encouraged to increase the international alliance to protect himself from Beijing.
“The US government has shown, through actual actions, support their rock for Taiwan,” said spokesman for the Presidential Office Xavier Chang in a statement.
But Beijing said that Biden’s comments were at risk of “damaging the relationship between Sino-as,” Washington warnings on Friday to “acted and spoke carefully on Taiwan’s problems.” “China has no room to compromise on problems involving the interests of its point,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin at the regular press direction.
The US should not underestimate “Determination of Faithfulness, Strict and Strong Desires of China” to resist what he saw as a threat to its sovereignty, Wang added.
Biden promps the same in August during an interview with ABC, insisting that the US will always defend the main allies, naming Taiwan among them, despite the withdrawal from Afghanistan in the face of the winning Taliban.
Biden’s description might not come out of ignorance.
Veteran politicians themselves served in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1979 and chose to approve Taiwanese relations laws.
Richard McGregor, a senior for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, said Biden might want to show bigger firmness.
“I suspect that Biden doesn’t try to announce any changes.
So it is a loose language, or maybe a slightly difficult tone, intentionally adopted because the way Beijing has increased the tempo of his military harassment to Taiwan recently,” he told AFP.
China has increased economic, diplomatic and military pressure in Taiwan since the 2016 presidential election, which views Taiwan if sovereign and not part of “one Chinese.” Military pressure has risen last year with China sent waves of fighter jets and nuclear bombers who were able to go to the Taiwan Air Defense Zone.
According to the AFP calculation, more than 800 flights have been made into the zone since last September – 170 only this month.
Defending Taiwan, one of the most progressive democracies in Asia, has become a rare bipartisan problem in the polarized Washington landscape.
At the city hall on Thursday, Biden was also asked by audience members whether the United States would be able to follow the rapid Chinese military development.
Biden responds with “Yes.” “Don’t worry about whether …
they will be stronger,” he said.
“China, Russia and the whole world knows we have the strongest military in world history.” Biden’s comments came after the Financial Report Times that China had tested sophisticated hypersonic missiles with nuclear capacity that flew around the planet before landing, although it was not targeted.