The president of the United States, Joe Biden, assured today by surprise from Japan that his country would be willing to intervene militarily in the event that Beijing tried to take Taiwan by force.
His words, far from the traditional "strategic ambiguity" of Washington in this long-standing dispute, risk enraging Beijing, which considers the self-governed island an inalienable part of its territory.
"Yes. We have committed ourselves to it”, he answered in the company of the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, when asked if his country would intervene militarily in the face of a potential Chinese invasion of the island.
Although he assured that the US remains committed to the "one China" postulate, he does not believe that this serves as a justification for the Asian giant to use force to take Taiwan. "It would not be appropriate ... it would disrupt the entire region and it would be another action similar to what has happened in Ukraine," he said before adding that "my expectation is that this will not happen."
Under the "one China" policy, Washington recognizes the Asian giant's position that there is only one Chinese government and has not maintained formal diplomatic relations with Taipei since it established them with Beijing in 1979. But that does not prevent it from cultivating warm ties. informal contacts with the island - including a de facto embassy, the American Institute - and sell it military equipment.
In his speech, Biden affirmed that China "is already flirting with the danger of flying very low and with other military maneuvers" around Taiwan, and compared a hypothetical invasion of the island with Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The sanctions applied to Moscow by the international community “send a message about the cost of trying to take Taiwan by force”, something that “would result in long-term condemnation”, added the president.
Beijing considers Taiwan, the island where Chiang Kai Shek's nationalist troops took refuge in 1949 after their defeat by Mao Zedong's communists, as an inalienable part of its territory. Their reunification is a matter of state that has gained weight since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. Beijing says it prefers to achieve it peacefully, but has never renounced the use of force to achieve it.
For its part, Washington's defense policy with respect to the island has been described as one of "strategic ambiguity": it makes it clear that it is its partner and sells it weapons, but without ever explicitly declaring whether it would come to its aid in the event of a conflict.
However, Biden already broke that dynamic in October of last year. It was during an appearance on CNN, when he assured that his country would help Taipei if it is attacked. "Yes, we are committed to doing it," she said then before the astonished gaze of the analysts.
Immediately afterwards, the White House clarified that Biden's words did not represent a shift in Washington's position, something that also happened this Monday. “There is no change in US policy towards Taiwan. As the president said, our policy has not changed, ”assured one of his officials.
In their meeting today, Biden and Kishida also pledged to strengthen their collaboration in the face of "increasingly coercive behavior" by Beijing and North Korean weapons development. In addition, they stressed their opposition to "any attempt to change the 'status quo' by force in the East China Sea and the South China Sea", where many disputes over the sovereignty of some territories still persist.
Statements on Taiwan risk overshadowing the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Sponsored by Washington, this pact initially includes 13 members from the region, including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
The framework, seen as an attempt to counter Chinese influence in the region, provides for integration in key areas such as the digital economy, supply chains or the fight against corruption. However, the lack of tariff advantages or other specific incentives to access the US market risks making it less attractive for emerging Asian economies.
4
