In an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday night, Biden told host Scott Pelley that the United States would defend Taiwan “if there was, in fact, an unprecedented attack.” China claims Taiwan, a self-governing republic home to 23 million people, as its territory and has argued that it could one day use force to take control of the island. Since Russia invaded Ukraine more than six months ago, Biden has repeatedly stressed that US military forces would not fight Russian troops on Ukrainian soil. Pelley pressed Biden on whether the situation would be different if Taiwan were attacked. “So unlike Ukraine, to be clear, sir, would US forces – US men and women – defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion?” Peli asked. “Yes,” Biden replied. The interview is the latest of several occasions in which Biden has said the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if China attacked. Each time, White House officials emphasized that his comments did not represent any change in US policy. Taiwan’s foreign minister said on Aug. 9 that China is using drills launched in protest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to prepare for an invasion. (Video: Reuters) A Biden administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, pointed to remarks the president made in May when he told reporters that the practice of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan remains. At the time, he did not elaborate and did not specifically say that he would send US troops to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. “It was also made clear then that our policy on Taiwan has not changed,” the official said. “That remains true.” A State Department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday. The “60 Minutes” segment incorrectly reported that US policy since 1979 has recognized Taiwan as part of China. Under the United States’ “one-China policy,” the US government under various administrations has for decades recognized Beijing’s view without taking a position on Taiwan’s sovereignty status. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, the United States agreed to provide Taiwan with weapons to defend itself and “maintain the ability of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would endanger the safety, or the social or economic system, of people in Taiwan.” The language does not guarantee or rule out the possibility of military intervention, although the United States has long exercised “strategic ambiguity” about what it will do. In the “60 Minutes” interview, Biden appeared to refer to the Taiwan Relations Act when asked what Chinese President Xi Jinping should know about Biden’s commitment to Taiwan. “We stand by what we signed a long time ago,” Biden told Pelley. “And that there is a one-China policy and Taiwan is making its own decisions about its independence. We don’t move — we don’t encourage them to be independent. This is their decision.” Tensions between the United States and China — as well as between China and Taiwan — have escalated in recent months. Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden sent an unofficial delegation of former U.S. defense and national security officials to Taiwan in an effort to show that the United States’ commitment to Taiwan “remains steadfast,” an administration official said at the time . On August 7, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers denounced China’s military escalation in response to a recent visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.). (Video: The Washington Post) Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) traveled with a congressional delegation to Taipei, becoming the first House speaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in 1997. There, the delegation met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Pelosi repeatedly reaffirmed the United States’ “commitment” and “enduring friendship” to Taiwan. US lawmakers visit Taiwan after Pelosi trip angers China The visit angered Beijing. Under the Chinese Communist Party, Beijing has for decades pursued a global pressure campaign to diplomatically isolate Taiwan’s democratically elected government, hounding its diplomatic partners and strongly opposing exchanges between Taipei and foreign officials. China conducted extensive military drills near Taiwan before and after Pelosi’s visit, calling them a warning to “provocateurs” who challenge Beijing’s claims to Taiwan. Beijing has also imposed sanctions on Pelosi and her family and canceled military dialogues and suspended climate talks with the United States. Christian Shepherd contributed to this report.
