The US would make Taiwan according to the US President Joe Biden also defend militarily in case of attack. China has no right to take Taiwan by force, Biden stressed at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday in Tokyo. China’s behavior, including military maneuvers and flights near the island, “flirts with danger,” Biden said. However, he does not assume that China will actually try to attack Taiwan.
Taiwan/Ukraine comparison
When asked by a journalist if the United States would also defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an attack, Biden said, “Yes.” Asked by the reporter, Biden emphasized: “This is a commitment that we have made.” Taking Taiwan by force would destabilize the entire region and would be similar to what happened in Ukraine, Biden said, referring to Russia’s war of aggression. “We remain committed to supporting cross-strait peace and stability and ensuring there is no unilateral change to the status quo,” Biden said, referring to the strait between mainland China and Taiwan.
Biden had already declared late last year that the United States had an “obligation” to help Taiwan in the event of an attack. The communist leadership in Beijing considers Taiwan part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. The United States has committed to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself – which until now has mostly meant arms deliveries.
The question of military assistance in the event of an attack was deliberately left open because Beijing saw it as a violation of the “One China Doctrine”. With this US “strategic ambiguity”, Beijing must remain unsure what the US would do in the event of war. So far, the United States has reserved a formal declaration of military assistance in Asia for its close allies Japan and South Korea. The US military also has a military presence there.