Biden: US forces protect Taiwan from Chinese invasion abroad

The US president was not previously clear about possible US support for Taiwan. In an interview with CBS, he was asked if the promised support meant that, unlike now in Ukraine, for example, US troops would be sent to the island to help with the defence. Biden replied, “Yes.”

A White House spokesman said after the interview, which was actually taped on Thursday, that Biden’s statement did not comply with official US policy. The spokesman said the question of whether US forces would travel to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion remains unanswered. However, America promised Taiwan weapons so that it could defend itself.

At the end of May, Biden also caused a stir by saying that defending Taiwan was a promise the United States had made. The ruling angered Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province. A spokesman for the president later clarified that the United States would commit to providing military support so that Taiwan could defend itself. Biden responded a few days later by saying that “the policy toward Taiwan has not changed at all.”

Since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month, relations between China and the United States have been tense. China held days of military exercises in the waters around the island nation following her visit. Beijing has warned Washington not to “play with fire” around Taiwan.