US President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday that the United States would militarily defend Taiwan if China were to attack the island, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory. During a meeting with voters in Baltimore organized by CNN, Biden was asked if the US was prepared to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack, to which he responded, "Yes. We have a commitment in this regard."
Despite the ongoing Cold War between the US and China— the two nuclear powers and leading global economies— their dispute over Taiwan is seen as the only issue that could potentially ignite a military confrontation. On Wednesday, seasoned American diplomat Nicholas Burns, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing regarding his confirmation as the new US ambassador to Beijing, stated that China should not be “trusted” concerning Taiwan.
During the hearing, Burns emphasized the need for the United States to sell more arms to Taiwan to bolster the island’s defenses against China. The American diplomat also condemned recent Chinese incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone, stating that China's actions in this regard are "abhorrent."
In March, Admiral Philip Davidson, the commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific region, warned that China might invade Taiwan within six years to achieve its stated goal of replacing the United States as the leading military power in the region. Taiwan, home to approximately 23 million people, has been governed for 75 years by a regime that fled to the island after the communists took control of mainland China during the Chinese Civil War.
The United States severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 in order to recognize Beijing as the sole official representative of China; however, Washington remains Taiwan's strongest ally and primary arms supplier. Furthermore, US law requires the American administration to sell weapons to the island to enable it to defend itself.
Beijing considers Taiwan an inseparable part of Chinese territory, asserting that it will be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently reaffirmed his desire for the island to be "reunited peacefully" with the Chinese mainland.
