On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he might be inclined to pressurize to save Taiwan, thanking you from the democratic, self-sovereign island – although there are sharp complaints from China.
When asked at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida whether the U.S. would be prepared to defend Taiwan if attacked, Biden replied: “Yes.”
“That’s the commitment we made,” Biden said. “We agree with the ‘one-China policy. We signed on to it. All the attendant agreements [were] made from there. But the idea that that can be taken by force is just taken by force. It’s just not, and it’s just not appropriate.”
Mr Biden said it was not his expectation that such an incident would occur or be attempted on his first visit to Japan since taking office.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry thanked Biden for reaffirming U.S. support for the island during the Beijing invasion. However, China’s foreign ministry expressed “strong dissatisfaction and strong opposition” to the comments before adding that Beijing has no room for compromise or concessions on sovereignty and territorial integrity issues.
“No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will, and strong ability of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and do not stand against the 1.4 billion Chinese people,” China’s foreign ministry said.
