US President Joe Biden open to military action if China invades Taiwan
livemint.comANI report.“Not ruling out using US military force. There's a distinction between deploying on the ground, air power and naval power," he said during the exclusive interview conducted at the White House on May 28, as quoted by ANI.Biden also said that he had communicated to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States would not seek independence for Taiwan, which was in line with Washington's long-standing agreement with Beijing.
However, he affirmed that the US would continue to support Taiwan's defence capabilities. “If China tries to change the status quo unilaterally, we're continuing to supply capacity [to Taiwan]," he said.
“We've been in consultation with our allies in the region," he added, as quoted by ANI.When asked if the US military would launch strikes from its bases in Japan or the Philippines in the event of a conflict, Biden responded, “I can't get into that. You would then criticise me with good reason if I were to tell you."The Time article also cited US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, who revealed that Xi instructed his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan have been high despite Biden and Xi agreeing to ease these tensions in recent talks.Beijing views Taiwan's new President, Lai Ching-te, as a “separatist" and supporter of Taiwan's independence. Shortly after Lai Ching-te's swearing-in on May 20, China conducted military drills around Taiwan, which it described as “punishment" for separatist actions.
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