![]()
In the context of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden's forceful comments on Taiwan show that the US is equally focused on China and Russia.
President Joe Biden has stated that US soldiers would defend Taipei in the event of an "unprecedented attack" by the People's Liberation Army, which may transform Chinese President Xi Jinping's dream of merging the breakaway Republic of Taiwan with the mainland into a nightmare (PLA). This is the fourth time that the US President and Chief Executive has publicly said that America will defend Taiwan, notwithstanding the White House's clarification following Biden's remarks. The White House noted that after the remark, US policy toward Taiwan remained unchanged, as it had in the past.
At a routine press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that "the U.S. words... badly breach the important promise the U.S. made not to promote Taiwan independence, and send a seriously erroneous signal to Taiwanese separatist independence forces."
Joe Biden, President of the United States, said in his most direct interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday, "yes" to the US military defending the island republic in the event of an extraordinary attack by the Chinese Army.
President Joe Biden's forceful words offer Taiwan, Japan, and some Southeast Asian countries, which are suffering as a result of Beijing's wolf warrior diplomacy and the PLA's military belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, the much-needed consolation they need despite the turmoil surrounding his statement within the US State Department. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the East Ladakh sector was unilaterally changed by Beijing, strengthening its military installations all along the 3488 km line. As a result, the PLA and Indian Army have been engaged in a 28-month armed standoff in that area.
His words make it abundantly clear that the US is equally concerned about China in the context of Taiwan as it is about Russia in the context of Ukraine the context of the continuing war in Ukraine. The major distinction between the two scenarios is that in the case of Taiwan, the US President is prepared to dispatch American forces to the front lines to fight the PLA. The US is giving Kyiv in Ukraine weapons worth billions of dollars to defend itself against an invasion by the Red Army. The US military presence in the Indo-Pacific will rise in order to thwart any Chinese attack on Taiwan or Japan.
As all four of the QUAD partners experience to trade, diplomatic, or military conflict with China, his unambiguous stance will give the alliance additional clout. Given the proximity of Japanese territory to Taiwan, any military emergency on Taipei will involve Tokyo in the conflict, as was demonstrated by Chinese missiles that landed in the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone following Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island nation.
The ongoing pressure from President Biden will also prevent China from opening fronts with other democratic nations and discourage newly discovered supporters of Beijing in the Indian subcontinent and within the ASEAN.
Yash Ranjan09/19/2022
