US President Joe Biden has said the United States would come to Taiwan’s defence if the island were attacked by China, in comments that appeared to be a departure from a longstanding US policy of ‘strategic ambiguity’.
“Yes,” he responded when asked in a CNN town hall about defending Taiwan, whose government has been under mounting military and political pressure from Beijing, which claims the island as its own. “We have a commitment to that.”
He was then queried a second time by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper if the US would come to Taiwan’s defence in the event of an attack by China. Mr Biden replied: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”
A White House spokesperson later appeared to walk back Mr Biden’s comments, telling US media outlets that the US was “not announcing any change in our policy and there is no change in our policy”.
This is not the first time this has happened. In August, Mr Biden appeared to suggest the same stance on Taiwan in an interview with ABC News. The White House had also said then that US policy on Taiwan had not changed.
The US has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but sells arms to it as part of its Taiwan Relations Act, which states that the US must provide the island with the means to defend itself.
It has formal ties with China, and also diplomatically acknowledges China’s position that there is only one Chinese government.
The US has for years maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” under which it provides key military support to Taiwan, but does not explicitly promise to come to the island’s aid in the event of a Chinese attack.
In August, a Biden administration official said US policy on Taiwan had not changed after the president appeared to suggest the United States would defend the island if it were attacked.
Earlier this month, President Biden appeared to suggest there was an ‘agreement‘ between China and the US over Taiwan.