US downplays Biden's remark over defending Taiwan: 'Was answering a hypothetical question'

Days after US President Joe Biden asserted that US forces would aid Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, the White House has now clarified the statement saying that the POTUS was answering a hypothetical question and that it did not reflect any official policy change. Biden, while making one of his most explicit statements on the recent flare-up of tensions between China and Taiwan, had recently stated that the US forces would defend the self-governed island that China has long claimed as part of its territory. 

Biden’s statement had come in an interview by CBS on Sunday. When asked whether US forces would defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion, he replied: "Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack."  

The statement drew an angry response from China that asserted that the statement sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. Mao Ning, the spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a regular briefing in Beijing that Biden's comments sent a "seriously wrong signal" to separatist forces. She further informed that China had lodged a formal complaint over Biden’s statements while asserting that China reserved the right to take all necessary measures to counter separatism.  

US policy of 'strategic ambiguity' in question

It is to mention that the policy of 'strategic ambiguity' is the fundamental policy of the United States toward cross-Strait relations. It is basically the practice by the government of being intentionally uncertain on certain aspects of its foreign policy. This policy was aimed to discourage both a unilateral declaration of independence by Taiwan’s leaders and an invasion of Taiwan by China.  

The National Security Advisor to White House, Jake Sullivan, during Tuesday’s White House press briefing , statedthat the President had answered a “hypothetical question”, adding, “When the President of the United States wants to announce a policy change, he will do so. He has not done so.”  

Reiterating that the White House continues to stand behind the "One China" policy, he further said that Biden has "reiterated those basic commitments on every occasion that he's talked about in Taiwan -- including in this interview where he specifically and emphatically and unequivocally reinforced and reiterated the One China policy."

This is not the first time the policy has been called into question. Back in 2001, then-President George W. Bush had asserted that he would "do whatever it takes" to defend Taiwan. However, he claimed in 2003 that the US supported the ‘One China’ policy.  

Biden has previously made similar statements, once in October 2021 and again in May 2022 promising a military intervention by the United States in case of a Chinese invasion of the self-governed island. However, following both instances the White House clarified that the US had not officially changed any policy related to the issue.  

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry thanked Biden for his reaffirming of the "US government's rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan" through a press statement.