President Joe Biden said the US would defend Taiwan if China attacked, in an apparent departure from a long-held position.
“Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” he said when asked during a townhall if the US would defend Taiwan.
But a White House spokesman later told some US media outlets that his remarks did not signify a change in policy.
Taiwan reacted by saying Mr Biden’s statement would not change its own position with regards to China.
The US has a law which requires it to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has long been deliberately vague about what it would actually do if China were to attack Taiwan. This is known as its position of “strategic ambiguity”.
courtesy BBC
