The U.S. Department of State has backtracked on behalf of the Biden Administration, changing its fact sheet to say:
“We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence;(emphasis added) and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means. We continue to have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available defense articles and services as necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability -– and maintains our capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of Taiwan.”
This is a very odd way of saying this. In other words, we don’t support their independence but we will fight to maintain their independence.
Taiwan was established in 1949, after a defeated Chiang Kai-shek was thrown out by the Chinese Communists. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has maintained that Taiwan is merely a breakaway region from China that must be reunited with the mainland. Taiwan has been self-governed for all of that time, and never under the rule of the CCP.
Joe Biden’s statement to the effect that we would back Taiwan militarily was one of the very few statements of his that I have supported. I believe very firmly that leaving Taiwan at the mercy of the Chinese would be horrific for the Taiwanese and would lead to a belligerent China that threatens the world.
But we all know that Joe Biden is not in charge. Joe’s handlers and the bureaucrats run everything. They are trying to prevent him from starting a war that he can’t manage.
They may have a point.
In his current state, President Biden is not in any condition to be bold. If he were, the Russian invasion of Ukraine would never have happened.
But appeasing China is a bad idea as well. China may very well have plans to invade Taiwan during the administration f the weakest we have had in recent history.