President Biden says he doesn’t encourage Taiwanese independence but also says US forces would defend the island in the case of a Chinese invasion.

By Staff, Scheerpost

During an interview broadcasted Sunday on CBS News’s “60 Minutes” program, President Joe Biden doubled down on his hawkish foreign policy approach in East Asia stating that US forces would be used to defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion.

biden 60 minutes interview

When interviewer Scott Pelley asked the president to specify that this would be a different scenario than Ukraine, this time with actual troops on the ground, Biden answered with an unequivocal “yes.”

Biden’s comments are the latest—following Nancy Pelosi’s Washington-opposed trip to Taipei—to undermine longstanding US policy towards Taiwan. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which establishes Washington will help Taiwan defend itself through defensive and economic support, does not promise to provide troops or participate in war.

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