The US president noted that Beijing is “flirting with danger” as tensions around Taiwan are escalating, warning China against attempts to seize the island by force.Joe Biden addressed the issue of Taiwan during his meeting with Japanse PM Fumio Kishida, pledging to protect the island against any invasion.
“That’s the commitment we made,” he said when asked if Washington would intervene militarily against a possible attempt by Beijing to take control of Taiwan.
“We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it… but the idea that it can be taken by force is just not appropriate”.
This is not the first time Biden has confirmed that the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked: last year, he also said that, while the White House stressed that the US won’t change its policy regarding this matter.
Tensions between China and the US have been brewing over the past months, amid growing deliveries of American weapons to Taipei.
At the same time, China voiced protest over a number of US policies on the Taiwan issue: most recently, the US Department of State edited its website, omitting the phrase “the United States does not support Taiwan independence“.
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