On Friday, Lloyd Austin, the United States Defense Secretary, said that while the nation remains devoted to its one-China policy, it will continue to help Taiwan defend itself. The Defense secretary gave the remarks to reporters following the defense ministerial meetings at the headquarters of the alliance in Brussels. Moreover, the reporters asked if the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China invaded it.
Austin told a reporter during his press conference that he didn’t want to deal in hypotheticals and no one wants to see cross-strait problems come to blows, and definitely not United States President Joe Biden, and there is no reason that it should. Further, he said that America stands by its commitment to the one-China policy, recognizing the capital Beijing rules all of China.
US “COMMITTED” to Defending Taiwan from China – Biden
Austin added that, per previous governments, his country would continue to support and help Taiwan with the abilities that it needs to defend itself, and the present administration will stay focused on those things. Defense secretary was echoing remarks made late Thursday by Biden, who said during a televised meeting on CNN, the nation is committed to defending Taiwan if China attacked it.
Biden: US “COMMITTED” to Defending Taiwan from China – WH claims policy unchanged
At a CNN town hall on Thursday night, President Biden reaffirmed the US’ “commitment” to help Taiwan defend itself, forcing a WH spox to double down by asserting Washington will “continue to pic.twitter.com/pGoWnfpj94
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On Friday, Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters that there is no space for negotiation on the Taiwan issue, which is an unchallengeable part of the territory of China, and on that matter, there is no room for foreign interference. Wenbin urged the U.S. to obey its one-China policy or risk destabilizing the region.
China Flew Warplanes within Taiwan’s Defense Zone
In recent weeks, China raised tensions in the region by flying warplanes within the defense zone of Taiwan and rehearsing beach landings nearby. People’s Liberation Army flew fifty-six warplanes off the southwest coast of Taiwan and set a new record, and capped four days of sustained pressure involving one hundred and forty-nine flights. All were in international airspace but provoked the defense forces of Taiwan to scramble in response and raised concerns that any mistake could prompt an unintentional escalation.
A White House spokesman said that Biden was not announcing any change in the United States policy at the town hall, and there is no change in the country’s policy. The Taiwan Relationships Act will guide the defense relationship of the U.S. with Taiwan. Moreover, the U.S. will uphold its pledge under the Act and will continue to support the self-defense of Taiwan.
Source: Web
The presidential office of Taiwan said that its positions remained the same, and it will neither surrender nor rashly advance when it gets support. Taiwan will show a strong determination to defend its sovereignty and the Biden government’s continued solid actions show its firm support for Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said that Military tensions between China and Taiwan are at their peak in over forty years, and China will be capable of growing a full-scale invasion by 2025. On the other hand, China says that Taiwan is the most important and sensitive matter in its ties with the U.S. and condemns the collusion between Taipei and Washington.
