President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States would intervene militarily if China attempts to take Taiwan by force, a warning that appeared to deviate from the deliberate ambiguity traditionally held by Washington.
The White House quickly downplayed the comments, saying they don’t reflect a change in US policy. It’s the third time in recent months – including during a CNN town hall in October – that Biden has said the US would protect Taiwan from a Chinese attack, only to have the White House walk back those remarks.
During a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Biden was asked if the US would be willing to go further to help Taiwan in the event of an invasion than it did with Ukraine.
First concern, I am not convinced that this is good policy. Our historic commitment to Taiwan is important and has been a stabilizer in the region for almost 70 years. If we do not defend Taiwan, then we are likely to see Japan and Korea rapidly rearm since they can’t rely on American support against a Chinese threat. This could lead to a much wider conflict. But there are a lot of layers of supporting Taiwan before we get to committing American lives to their defense.
Second concern, is anyone else concerned by the statement, “It’s the third time in recent months… that Biden has said the US would protect Taiwan from a Chinese attack, only to have the White House walk back those remarks.” If the president does not set foreign policy, who is? Why is the “White House” (read: nameless functionaries) determining our nation’s foreign policy instead of the president?
Remember all the promises, threats, and mean words regarding Russia and the Ukraine? I do, and I know China does. I don’t want to see us get sucked into defending other countries when we have so many real problems inside our own borders… but if you’re going to promise to protect the sovereignty of another nation… THEN DO IT.
The re-armament of South Korea and Japan is a GOOD thing. There’s no good reason for ANZUS to carry the burden of defending those countries and Taiwan, no matter the level of US involvement. We are long past the time when the US could financially afford to defend every rock everyplace in the world–and it’s about damn time that foreign policy determines vital US interests before waving a red flag in front of a bull.
By the way: Red China is already at war with the US on the economic front by withholding shipments and manufacture of a number of vital goods, effectively reducing the gross sales of a number of US businesses and (soon) affecting employment. Thank the GloBaloney Chamber for that!
Taiwan would be foolish to count on the current crop of American sock puppets for much of anything. Biden will sell American foreign policy regarding Taiwan to the highest bidder. For the right price China won’t even have to go hot.
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