Asked in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes that aired Sunday whether American forces would defend the self-governing island claimed by China, he replied: “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.” Asked to clarify whether he meant that, unlike Ukraine, American forces – American men and women – would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: “Yes.” A White House spokesman said U.S. policy toward Taiwan had not changed when asked about the president’s comment. The interview is the last time Biden appeared to go beyond long-stated U.S. policy on Taiwan, but his statement was clearer than previous ones about the commitment of U.S. troops to defend the island. The US has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” not making clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan. A White House spokesman said after the 60 Minutes interview: “The president has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made it clear then that our policy on Taiwan has not changed. That remains true.” The CBS interview with Biden took place last week. The president is in Britain for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday. In May, Biden was asked if he was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, and he replied, “Yes… That’s the commitment we’ve made.” In the 60 Minutes interview, Biden reiterated that the US did not support Taiwan independence and remained committed to a “One China” policy in which Washington formally recognizes Beijing, not Taipei. Biden’s remarks are sure to anger Beijing, which was greatly angered by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August. This visit prompted China to hold its largest military exercises in Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring democratically-ruled Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has not ruled out the use of force. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from the Chinese embassy in Washington. In a phone call with Biden in July, Xi warned against playing with fire on Taiwan, saying “those who play with fire will perish from it.” Asked in October last year whether the US would defend Taiwan, Biden said: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.” The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. At the time, a White House spokesman said Biden was not announcing any change in US policy, and some experts called the comment a “blunder”. Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that if Biden made such pledges, he needed to make sure he could back them up. “If President Biden intends to defend Taiwan, then he needs to make sure the US military has the capability to do so,” he said. “Rhetorical support unsupported by real capabilities is unlikely to enhance deterrence.” Biden’s Asia policy czar, Kurt Campbell, has previously rejected any move for “strategic clarity” on Taiwan, saying there are “significant drawbacks” to that approach.
