The White House walked back the comments of Biden which he made regarding the China-Taiwan issue during his recent CNN town hall appearance.
While the president vowed to defend Taiwan militarily, the White House said there is no policy shift from the US regarding the Taiwan dispute.
Biden lied to town hall participants on Taiwan issue
Biden was asked by one of the participants of the town hall meeting about his policy in case of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. From here, Biden said everyone knows the US has the most powerful military that has ever existed.
The president then pledged the US has a commitment to defend Taiwan if China tries to capture the country.
These comments of Biden were certainly the announcement of a paradigm shift of the US approach towards the China-Taiwan issue; the nation’s power currently has a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding this issue.
However, Biden’s remarks during the town hall meeting ruled out this “ambiguity” altogether, as he vowed to defend Taiwan militarily.
Now, the White House has walked back these comments of Biden. A spokesperson of the White House explained to Fox News there is no policy shift from the USA towards Taiwan.
Likewise, the spokesperson added US relations with Taiwan are driven by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. The legislation asks the US to support Taiwan by providing defensive capabilities, but does not bind the US to make a military engagement with Taiwan’s adversaries.
COOPER: "Are you saying that the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense?"
QUESTIONER: "If China attacked?"
BIDEN: "Yes, we have a commitment to do that." pic.twitter.com/YTgxMaD4MP
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 22, 2021
XI Jinping, the Chinese president, envisions a “reunification” of Taiwan; it is a matter of time before China can invade and capture Taiwan.
Republicans urge Biden to defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion
On the other hand, GOP lawmakers have exposed Biden’s inability to contain Chinese expansionist ambitions; they have also asked the president to be more assertive to stop China.
Despite these practices from China, the US is adopting a One-China policy and does not recognize Taiwan.
Earlier this year, GOP lawmakers Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry initiated a bill in Congress to encourage the US to accept Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with the country.
For 50 years, Taiwan has been unfairly excluded from the United Nations. This must change.
Fact: Taiwan is an independent, democratic country.
Fact: Taiwan has never been part of Communist China, even for one day.
Fact: China is China, Taiwan is Taiwan.https://t.co/lzNxSzPdv5— Rep. Tom Tiffany (@RepTiffany) October 25, 2021
The former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, also warned Republicans if China takes over Taiwan, it will be game over for America.
Meanwhile, Republican senators have applauded the US military presence in Taiwan that is training the local forces to defend their territory if China decides to launch an all-out assault.
Joni Ernst, a GOP senator from Iowa, said it is a good approach to have a military presence in Taiwan, as it depicts the US will defend the territory.
After Chinese tests of the hypersonic missiles, the threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty is greater than ever; yet, the Biden administration has not done anything significant to pressure China.
