Notoriously known for his numerous slip-ups, US President Joe Biden has never thought twice before making gaffes with respect to Taiwan, in which he pledged to defend the island, something that prompted China’s flak and left the White House red-faced.
POTUS is now meeting Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia, in their first face-to-face talks since Biden entered office in January 2021. The White House earlier said that the two “will discuss efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication,” as well as how to “responsibly manage competition and work together where” their interests “align, especially on transnational challenges.”
The negotiations come as Beijing and Washington remain at odds over an array of sticky issues pertaining to China’s trade practices and human rights record as well as Taiwan. Here are some Taiwan-related gaffes that have been made by the 46th US president over the past twelve months.
September 2022
In an interview with a US broadcaster in September, Biden said that Washington agrees with what it “signed onto a long time ago”, an apparent reference to the White House replacing a Treaty of Alliance with the Taiwan Relations Act back in 1979.
“And that there’s One China policy, and Taiwan makes their own judgments about their independence. We are not moving—we’re not encouraging their being independent […] that’s their decision,” he added.
Even so, Biden said “yes” when asked whether US forces would defend Taiwan if “in fact there was an unprecedented attack” on the island. The White House was quick to routinely stress that the US policy of "strategic ambiguity" regarding Taiwan has not changed after Biden’s interview.
May 2022
During a press conference in Tokyo alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in late May, the US president hinted that there would be a military response from the US if China attempts to use force against Taiwan.
“Yes […] that’s the commitment we made […]. We agree with a One China policy. We’ve signed on to it and all the intended agreements made from there. But the idea that, that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not, is just not appropriate.”
Shortly after, the White House intervened and played down Biden's comments.
October 2021
The May 2022 developments came after POTUS quickly said “yes and yes” when asked by a US news outlet in October 2021 whether the US was willing and able to defend Taiwan in the event of a potential attack by China.
According to Biden, the US has “a commitment” to protect the island if China attacks. The White House later clarified that "US policy with regard to Taiwan has not changed.”
August 2021
At the time, a US broadcaster asked Biden to give his thoughts on Chinese media's claims that the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan without a fight had indicated that Washington could not be relied on to come to Taiwan’s defense.
The 46th US president argued that the US commitments to Taiwan, South Korea and NATO were fundamentally different situations from what had happened in Afghanistan.
"We made a sacred commitment to [the NATO treaty’s] Article 5 that if, in fact, anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Same with Japan, same with South Korea, same with — Taiwan,” Biden underscored.
The US ended formal relations with Taiwan in 1979, as stipulated in the second communiqué and the US Congress-ratified Taiwan Relations Act that came into effect that year.
Since then, the US has maintained a “strategic ambiguity” policy of neither encouraging Taiwanese independence nor its reconciliation with Beijing. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US continues to provide the island with arms to help Taipei to defend itself in case of any military event. This is vehemently opposed by Beijing, which sees Taiwan as an essential part of China, rejecting, however, a military scenario when it comes to the island’s reunification with the mainland.
The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned the trip, dubbing it a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island in a retaliation move.