< p>The US President's statement that Washington would decide to intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan made the world uneasy.
President Joe Biden said that in the event of China's aggression against Taiwan, the United States can go for direct military intervention.
The head of the White House said this during a visit to Japan, writes The New York Times.
At a press conference, a journalist asked Biden: “You didn't want to get involved in the Ukrainian conflict for obvious reasons. Are you ready to intervene militarily to protect Taiwan if it comes to that?”.< /p>
“Yes,” was the U.S. President's categorical response.
As noted in the publication, Biden's statement set the stage for new tensions between the United States and China, which insists that Taiwan is part of its territory and cannot exist as a sovereign state.
The White House quickly tried to object and settle the situation. They noted that Biden's statement does not mean a change in policy on Taiwan.
“The President of the United States reaffirmed our One China” policy and our commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He also reaffirmed our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act, which requires the United States to provide Taiwan with military means to protect it,” a White House spokesman said.
Last August, Biden, reassuring allies after his decision to withdraw support from Afghanistan, already promised that “we will respond” if another NATO member is attacked, then added: “Same with Japan, same with South Korea, then same with Taiwan.”
However, Taiwan has never been given the same security guarantees by the United States as Japan, South Korea, or America's NATO allies. The Russian invasion of Ukraine heightened Washington's fears that China might embark on a similar gamble.
In turn, in Beijingreacted sharply to Biden's words about Taiwan. They said that the island is an integral part of China, and the issue of its future island is a purely internal affair of the PRC.
Earlier it was reported that against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, China draws conclusions on the capture Taiwan, and Taiwan is studying the experience of Ukraine in the war with the Russian Federation in case of an attack by China.
Why Taiwan is important for China and why these countries are at enmity – read the link.
