President Joe Biden on Tuesday clarified his apparent reference to an” independent”Taiwan, saying the US position on Chinese sovereignty has not changed Biden’s rearmost in a series of mixed dispatches about the islet– a republic outside of Beijing’s control that China claims as part of its home– came the day after a virtual peak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Asked if they’d made progress on Taiwan, which has close unofficial relations with the United States, Biden said he” made veritably clear”his support for current US law Under the Taiwan Act, the United States doesn’t fete Taiwan’s independence, yet commits to helping the islet defend itself Still, Biden, who was on a trip in New Hampshire, also told journalists”It’s independent. It makes its own opinions The White House didn’t respond to a request for explanation about what Biden was pertaining to. Biden himself also told journalists shortly after that he didn’t mean there was any change in US policy toward Taiwan.
“We are not going to change our policy at each,”he said.”We aren’t encouraging independence. We are encouraging them to do exactly what the Taiwan Act requires. That is what we are doing. Let them make up their mind This was the third time Biden has lately appeared to contradict US policy, giving the print of hardening his support for Taiwan.
Biden made a analogous comment in August. In both cases, the White House clarified latterly that US policy hadn’t changed While the United States gives Taiwan backing in its tone- defense, it maintains what Washington calls”strategic nebulosity”over the question of whether US forces would ever intermediate Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Biden said he would emphasized to Xi that while US nonmilitary vessels would keep out of Chinese territorial waters, they would contend on the right to pierce the South China Sea and”we’re not going to be bullied.”