President Joe Biden will wrap up his final stop on his first visit to Asia with a summit aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence, a day after he said the United States would be ready to defend Taiwan militarily if China attacks. .
Biden’s statement is sure to crop up in the day’s meetings as he will meet in person with leaders from Japan, India and Australia as part of a revitalized Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo, concluding his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan.
A shocking statement: The comment, which was quickly reversed by a White House aide, sent shockwaves through both Washington and Beijing as Chinese government spokesmen issued stark warnings about Biden’s rhetoric, and the president’s top military officials were forced to pay most of the deal. to spend Monday trying to explain the president’s apparent disregard for US strategy toward Taiwan.
On his first trip to Asia since becoming president, Biden — who has long warned of China’s growing influence as a global power — has sought to bolster the US’s position with eastern alliances and seek more ways to work together. And while much of China’s impending presence on the trip was unspoken, Biden said Monday the US would be ready to intervene militarily if China tries to take Taiwan by force — a statement that seemed to deviate from the deliberate ambiguity traditionally used by Washington. .
While acknowledging that the US still agrees with the “One China” policy, Biden said Monday that the idea of Taiwan being taken by force “is (just not) appropriate”.
Walk back: Several of Biden’s top officials were taken aback by the comments, multiple aides told DailyExpertNews, adding they didn’t expect Biden to be so unequivocal. The White House was quick to downplay Biden’s comments, saying they do not reflect a change in US policy. It is the third time in recent months — including at a DailyExpertNews town hall in October — that Biden has said the US would protect Taiwan from a Chinese attack, but the White House would reverse those comments.
The “One China” Policy: Under the “One China” policy, the US recognizes China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but Beijing has never officially recognized that Beijing is the self-governing island of 23 million inhabitants. The US provides Taiwan with defensive weapons but has remained deliberately ambiguous about whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.
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