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Last Monday, President Joe Biden drew China’s ire when he once again told reporters that the U.S. would defend Taiwan militarily if Beijing decides to reclaim the island.
Biden made the comment during his first visit to Japan as president to take part in a summit of the “Quad” nations. He was asked by a reporter to clarify the U.S.’s commitment to Taipei and he confirmed that the U.S would defend the city.
Biden, who was giving a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the time, said “the idea that [Taiwan] could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not… appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region and be in another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.”
Beijing was quick to respond to Biden’s comments and expressed “firm opposition,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
“No one should underestimate the firm resolve, staunch will, and strong ability of the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesman, said.
The Quad summit is held among the U.S., Australia, Japan, and India. Its mission is to counter China in the Pacific region. Biden, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kishida, and Australia’s Anthony Albanese, met in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Biden’s comments were quickly corrected by the White House and once again said the U.S. position of “strategic ambiguity” remains unchanged.
TREND FORECAST: The U.S. hopes that by taking that position Taipei will not formalize its independence and will deter Beijing from attacking. (See “CHINA WON’T STOP AT TAIWAN, SO WHERE SHOULD THE U.S. DRAW THE LINE?” “BIDEN SAYS THE U.S. WILL FIGHT FOR TAIWAN, WHITE HOUSE FLACKS QUICKLY BACKTRACK” and “BIDEN SAYS (AGAIN) THAT THE U.S. WILL DEFEND TAIWAN.”)
David Axelrod, President Barack Obama’s senior adviser, told The New York Times that Biden “has always been more open about his thinking than most politicians.”
“Everyone’s strength is their weakness. His strength is authenticity. His weakness is he’s sometimes more willing than his staff would like to share his thoughts,” Axelrod said.
Some politicians identified as “China hawks”, thought Biden comments were appropriate given the recent invasion of Ukraine.
“There are some in the White House who may feel he went too far, but I think it was a helpful episode and showing the Chinese where his mind and heart were,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, told Politico.
Blumenthal cited Biden’s “recent experience with another bully,” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The President is taking a lesson from Ukraine that a stronger initial position could be necessary for deterrence. The bullies of the world need to know we’re going to take a stand. And if they don’t hear that message with clarity, they may mistake it for weakness,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a speech Thursday that the U.S. does not support Taiwan’s independence but blamed Beijing for “growing coercion” in the region.
“We do not support Taiwan independence, and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means,” he said, according to CNBC. “Our policy has not changed. What has changed is Beijing’s growing coercion, like trying to cut off Taiwan’s relations with countries around the world and blocking it from participating in international organizations.”
TREND FORECAST: Last October, Biden made headlines during a CNN town hall when he told an audience member that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China invaded. Anderson Cooper, the moderator, had the president clarify that the U.S. would militarily defend Taiwan, and the president confirmed his position again.
“Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” he said.
There are times that Biden appears out of lockstep with his own administration. The White House was forced to clarify those remarks, saying that there was no change in policy and insisting that the U.S. remains guided by the Taiwan Relations Act for 1979.
The Trends Journal again clarifies its forecast: The U.S. will not intervene and Taiwan is there for China’s taking. Taiwan is completely outgunned militarily by China and the U.S. has not emerged victorious from a war since WWII.
Russia and China also sent the world a message when they flew bombers off the coast of Japan during Biden’s visit to Asia. Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said during a news conference that “the fact that this action was taken during the Quad summit makes it more provocative than in the past.”
An unverified audio clip also emerged in Indian media that claimed to feature top brass in China’s military talking about what an invasion of Taiwan could look like. The Times of India reported that the audio leak was from a top-secret meeting of the People’s Liberation Army.
Experts say that the audio clip from 14 May posted on the YouTube channel of Lude media looked authentic. The officials could be heard saying in the clip that the Chinese military will be able to employ 16 low-orbit satellites, “with 0.5 to 10 meters global remote ultra-high optical resolution sensing and imaging capabilities.”
The invasion would include 140,000 troops “953 ships, 1,653 unmanned equipment units, 20 airports and docks, six repair and shipbuilding yards, 14 emergency transfer centers, and resources like grain depots, hospitals, blood stations, oil depots, petrol stations, and so on,” according to The Eurasian Times.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The U.S. State Department told the Trends Journal that it will not comment on reports of the recording.