INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
United States President Joe Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement so
far on the issue.Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview broadcast on Sunday whether United States forces would defend the democratically
governed island claimed by China, he replied: &Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.Asked to clarify if he meant that unlike
in Ukraine, United States forces & American men and women & would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: &Yes.The
interview was just the latest time that Biden has appeared to go beyond long-standing stated United States policy on Taiwan, but his
statement was clearer than previous ones about committing United States troops to the defend the island, Reuters reported.The United States
has long stuck to a policy of &strategic ambiguity& and not making clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan.Asked to
comment, a White House spokesperson said United States policy towards Taiwan had not changed.The President has said this before, including
in Tokyo earlier this year
He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn''t changed
That remains true,& the spokesperson said.Taiwan&s Foreign Ministry expressed its thanks to Biden for his reaffirming of the &United States
government&s rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan&.Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and deepen the close
security partnership between Taiwan and the United States, it said in a statement.The CBS interview with Biden was conducted last week
The president is in Britain for Queen Elizabeth&s funeral on Monday, Reuters reported.In May, Biden was asked if he was willing to get
involved militarily to defend Taiwan and replied: &Yes … That&s the commitment we made.In the 60 Minutes interview, Biden reiterated the
United States remained committed to a &One-China& policy in which Washington officially recognizes Beijing not Taipei, and said the United
States was not encouraging Taiwanese independence.We are not moving, we are not encouraging their being independent … that&s their
decision,& he said.Biden&s remarks are likely to enrage Beijing, which was angered by a visit to Taiwan by United States House speaker
Nancy Pelosi in August.That visit promoted China to conducted its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan and China has protested
moves by United States lawmakers to advanced legislation that would enhance United States military support for Taiwan.Chinese President Xi
Jinping has vowed to bring Taiwan under Beijing&s control and has not ruled out the use of force
Taiwan strongly objects to China&s sovereignty claims.There was no immediate response to a request for comment from China&s embassy in
Washington.In a phone call with Biden in July, Xi warned about Taiwan, saying ''those who play with fire will perish by it.The post Biden:
United States forces would defend Taiwan in event of a Chinese invasion first appeared on Ariana News.
