US President Joe Biden pledges military aid to Taiwan in a Chinese attack.
Beijing protests while Taiwan welcomes the announcement.
Taipei also wants to cooperate more closely with Europe.
Baltimore / Beijing / Munich - In the tensions surrounding Taiwan, US President Joe Biden has backed Taipei more clearly than any of his predecessors. He pledged that the US would defend the democratically ruled island in the event of an attack by China. The US government has an "obligation" to do this, Biden said on
CNN.
The US was not looking for a conflict with China, but Beijing had to understand "that we will not take a step back, that we will not change our positions," said the president.
Biden's statements were made on Thursday, American local time, in a so-called
CNN Town Hall
format in the city of Baltimore, to which citizens were invited - and even more as a reaction. Because after a question from a citizen, the well-known
CNN presenter
Anderson Cooper asked Biden with a view to China: "Are you saying that the United States would defend Taiwan if it tried to attack?" we have an obligation to do that. "
The reactions in the Far East were hardly surprising.
China reacted indignantly on Friday, while Taiwan was pleased.
This is because the USA had previously reserved such a military declaration of support in Asia for its close allies Japan and South Korea.
The United States has a military presence in both countries.
Recently, however, the tensions surrounding Taiwan had increased significantly.
A record number of Chinese military aircraft had repeatedly broken into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to test its air defenses.
Taiwan itself is making increased efforts to increase the defense capabilities of its military in order to achieve an effective deterrent.
USA: Taiwan policy is based on 1979 law
US policy towards Taiwan is based on the Taiwan Relations Act - a law passed by the US Congress in 1979. At that time, the US had established diplomatic relations with China and therefore had to downgrade its relationship with Taiwan due to the “one-China principle” of the government in Beijing. In the law, the USA therefore undertakes to supply Taiwan with "weapons of a defensive type" and "enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities". Any attempt to "determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means" is also defined as a threat to the Western Pacific and a major concern of the United States.
Since then, the US has repeatedly delivered weapons to Taiwan.
Washington, on the other hand, deliberately left the question of military assistance open in the event of an attack, because Beijing sees this as a violation of the “one-China principle”.
With this "strategic ambiguity" by the US, Beijing was supposed to remain unsure of what the US would do in the event of war.
China protests against Joe Biden's confession
Now Biden has clarified the matter. China's Foreign Office spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected the statements of the US President accordingly. Taiwan is an internal affair of China, in which nobody should interfere, he affirmed the mantra of the political Beijing. The US should refrain from "sending any false signals to the independence forces in Taiwan". Nobody should underestimate China's determination to maintain its territorial integrity.
The Chinese Communist Party regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic and has never ruled out military reunification with the island.
Two weeks ago there was a war of words between the two sides.
China's head of state and party, Xi Jinping, had increased the pressure on Taiwan by calling for a "reunification," which is best done peacefully.
He warned that a split in Taiwan would have a "bad ending."
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen rejected the request.
Taiwan: Happy about US military support - while strengthening its own military at the same time
Taiwan's government welcomed the American stance.
"Since Biden took office, the US government has consistently demonstrated its solid support for Taiwan through practical steps," said a presidential spokesman in Taipei.
Taiwan is committed to its self-defense and wants to work with like-minded countries to contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the Taiwan Strait.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was a little more reluctant on Friday.
Taiwan will continue to be helped to defend itself, he said at the NATO defense ministers' conference in Brussels.
Focus on that.
"I'm not going to get into any hypothetical considerations about Taiwan," Austin said.
Taiwan is also looking for closer ties with Europe
At the same time, Taipei is currently striving for closer relations with Europe.
Lithuania recently allowed Taipei to open a “Taiwan Mission” in the capital Vilnius - much to the annoyance of China, which regards the use of the name Taiwan in diplomatic business as a provocation.
Otherwise, the EU Parliament is mainly committed to the island.
On Thursday, the MPs voted by a large majority in favor of closer relations with Taiwan, thus laying the foundation for a future investment agreement between both sides.
However, the decision is not binding on the EU Commission.
(ck / dpa)
