In a broadcast interview Wednesday on CNN, Tsai Ing-Wen followed Joe Biden’s comments who said last week is ready to intervene militarily in the event of an attack on the island by China.
Le Monde with AFP
The President of Taiwan has “trust” in the United States to defend his island against China, on the background of increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing around the role of Taipei on the international scene.
“I trust, given the long-standing relationship that binds us to the United States, as well as the support of the American people, the Congress and the Administration,” insured Tsai Ing-Wen in a Interview in English Data Tuesday, October 26 to CNN and broadcast by the string Wednesday.
The President of Taiwan also highlighted the “wide range of cooperation with the United States aimed at increasing our defense capacity”, including US military training of Taiwanese forces.
Weapon passes have multiplied in recent days between the United States and China on the fate of this island of 23 million inhabitants, which has its own government, currency, army, but that Beijing considers as one of his provinces waiting for reunification with the rest of the country.
Earlier Wednesday, US President Joe Biden pointed out that the United States was “deeply concerned by China’s coercive and aggressive actions in the Taiwan Strait”. Tensions have increased with the multiplication of Chinese air incursions near the island.
Such actions “threaten peace and regional stability,” added the US president, according to a registration of his remarks obtained by AFP. The Head of American Diplomacy Antony Blinken also sparked the IRE of Beijing by advocating on Tuesday, in favor of Taipei’s “significant participation” in UN and internationally on the international scene.
“The exclusion of Taiwan undermines the important work of the UN and its agencies,” he insisted, believing that his contribution was necessary to deal with “an unprecedented number of global challenges”.
The end of the policy of “strategic ambiguity”
“Taiwan has no rights to participate in the UN”, immediately retorted Beijing, by the voice of the spokesman of the Taiwanese Business Bureau, my Xiaoguang.
The very delicate Taiwanese folder is likely to improve relations between the United States and China, at the lowest for years. Last week, Biden seemed to want to send a new firmware message to Beijing.
“Asked about the possibility of American military intervention to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack of China, the President answered in the affirmative:” Yes, we have a commitment to that effect, “he said .
His statement appeared to contradict the long-standing policy of the United States so-called “strategic ambiguity”. Under the latter, Washington helps Taiwan build and strengthen his defense, but without explicitly promoting to come to his assistance in case of attack.
Joe Biden’s words had been poorly welcomed in Beijing and the US government had subsequently taken care to ensure that his Taiwan policy had not changed: the United States recognizes since 1979. China Communist, at the expense of Taiwan, but the American congress imposes parallel with providing weapons on the island for its defense.
