The President of the United States spoke about the situation in the Pacific during his visit to Japan, which seems to change the policy of the previous strategic ambiguity towards Taiwan and China.
US President Joe Biden said Washington stands ready to use force to defend Taiwan and is working with other countries to ensure China does not invade Taiwan.
Biden’s statements, which surprised even members of the Presidential staff with their clarity and unconditionality, seem to indicate a change in traditional US policy in this area, defined as strategic ambiguity, although shortly after the end of Biden’s speech – the White House rushed to clarify that no doctrinal changes were in progress.
She does not want direct US military involvement in the war in Ukraine for obvious reasons, a reporter asked Biden. Would he be ready for direct military action to defend Taiwan if the situation called for it?
Yes, Biden replied.
Lo? the reporter asked again.
This is the commitment we made, Biden confirmed.
Beijing – the US President added – jokes with fire every time it flies its jets into the island’s airspace. (Intrusions by Chinese military aircraft into the Taiwan Air Identification Zone have occurred several times in recent months).
The US is obliged to respect the “One China” policy, but that doesn’t mean China can take Taiwan by force, Biden said during the press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, explaining that my expectation and that it wasn’t will happen. We are against any violent change in the situation. Peace and stability must be maintained.
The phrases – which are inevitably destined to prompt Beijing’s reaction – were uttered during the state visit to Japan.
Washington’s policy toward Taiwan has so far been shaped by what it calls the Doctrine of Strategic Ambiguity: arming the ally (without recognizing it as a sovereign government), sending its fleet to raise the flag in the Taiwan Strait, but without saying explicitly whether the United States would go to war to resist invasion.
The White House said at the end of Biden’s speech that US policy had not changed and seemed to anticipate a scenario more similar to that in Ukraine: no direct military involvement, but supply of weapons, intelligence and training.
The president reiterated our policies regarding Beijing’s “one China” position and our commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a government official said. Biden also reaffirmed our commitment to providing Taiwan with military means for self-defense as specified in the Taiwan Relations Act.
Biden – who also said he was considering removing some tariffs on China – also linked the West’s actions against Russia for invading Ukraine to the Pacific Quadrant, stating that one of the reasons why it’s important is for Putin to pay up high price for his barbarism, as Beijing watches the world reaction and the economic conditions imposed on Moscow. What signal does this send to China? asked the US President.
As the Financial Times reported 20 days ago, an emergency meeting was held in Beijing at the end of April, at which the financial authorities developed a strategy to prevent the US-desired sanctions from hitting the banks. If China attacks Taiwan, decoupling the Chinese and Western economies would be much more difficult than that of Russia’s economy because China’s economic footprint affects every part of the world, a source told the FT. However, some of the bankers present questioned whether Washington can really afford to sever economic ties with China given Beijing is the second largest economy in the world. It would be mutually assured annihilation, said Andrew Collier, executive director of East Capital Research in Hong Kong, as in the case of nuclear war.
A few hours before Biden’s words, Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi had sharply condemned the US Indo-Pacific strategy and condemned it to failure.
According to China, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (Ipef), the ambitious investment plan and strengthening trade ties in the region launched by American President Biden in Tokyo, will become a political tool for the United States to strengthen its own to secure regional economic hegemony and deliberately exclude certain countries. a wrong way.
What is particularly dangerous is that the US is playing the “Taiwan card” and the “South China Sea card” to wreak havoc in the region. Facts will show that creating division, fomenting confrontation and undermining peace is a strategy. Those who try to isolate China with any structure will eventually isolate themselves.
Article is updated…
May 23, 2022 (Modification May 23, 2022 | 09:22)
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