During a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on 23 May, President Biden again stated that the United States would defend Taiwan if the CCP attacked the island-republic. Predictably, the White House walked back Mr. Biden’s statement, much as it did when he effectively called for regime change in Russia. However, this is not the first time Mr. Biden has committed to Taiwan’s defense. In an October 2021 CNN town hall, he did the same – the comments, again, were walked back. This repeated and now-familiar backwards walking is bizarre. Americans did not elect the White House or its staff. They elected Mr. Biden.
Nevertheless, a sea change is underway in US policy. The US President clearly believes that Taiwan should be supported during a cross-strait conflict. The Biden administration should make this policy explicit, taking steps to support Taiwan directly, and indicating to Beijing that a cross-strait conflict will become an Indo-Pacific conflict. It should prioritize Taiwan’s integration into US and allied defense planning, with the benefit of increased coordination with Taiwanese defense policy and strategy.
Read the full article at RealClear Defense.