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US President Joe Biden at CNN's Town Hall, where he answered questions from citizens
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Evan Vucci / AP
President Joe Biden said the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
The US government has an "obligation" to do this, Biden said on CNN on Thursday.
The US is not looking for a conflict with China, but Beijing must understand "that we will not take a step back, that we will not change our positions," said Biden.
When a citizen asked about the matter, CNN host Anderson Cooper at the Town Hall in Baltimore asked Biden, turning to China, "Are you saying the United States would defend Taiwan if it tried to attack?" Biden replied: "Yes, we have an obligation to do that."
The communist leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic and threatens to conquer it.
The US has committed itself to Taiwan's defense capability - which so far has mainly meant arms deliveries.
A US special unit has also been stationed in Taiwan for at least a year and is training local soldiers.
The "Wall Street Journal" reported in early October.
Joy in Taiwan
With his remarks, Biden went further than other US presidents who had deliberately left this question open.
So far, such a military declaration of assistance has been reserved for the close allies Japan and South Korea, where the US armed forces also have a significant military presence.
Taiwan's government has been delighted with Biden's commitment.
"Since Biden took office, the US government has consistently demonstrated its solid support for Taiwan through practical steps," said a spokesman for President Tsai Ing-wen.
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, the spokesman said.
Reinforced tensions
Tensions around Taiwan had increased significantly recently.
A record number of Chinese military aircraft had repeatedly broken into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) to put air defenses to the test.
China's head of state and party, Xi Jinping, increased the pressure and called for the 23 million Taiwanese to join the People's Republic peacefully.
He warned that a split in Taiwan would "have a bad ending."
Taiwan sees itself as independent
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen rejected the request.
The future of the democratic country can only be decided by the people themselves, but they want to preserve their free lifestyle.
Taiwan has long understood itself to be independent anyway.
China and Taiwan marked the 110th anniversary of the 1911 revolution in October.
The Republic of China was founded during the revolution and still exists in Taiwan today.
On the mainland, however, the communists prevailed in a later civil war and the People's Republic of China was proclaimed.
lukewarm / dpa
