© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden attends the launch event of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) at the Izumi Garden Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, May 23, 2022. REUTERS/ Jonathan Ernst
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By Trevor Hunnicutt and Sakura Murakami
TOKYO (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said there was no change to the United States’ policy of “strategic ambiguity” toward Taiwan, a day after he appeared to widen the boundaries America’s world on the island by saying he would be ready. Use force to protect it.
The Taiwan issue emerged during a meeting in Tokyo of the leaders of the Quad Group of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, who emphasized their determination to ensure a free Indo-Pacific region. and open to an increasingly assertive China. .
While the law requires Washington to give self-ruled Taiwan the means to defend itself, it has long followed a policy of “strategic ambiguity” about whether it would intervene militarily to defend it in the South China Sea. China attack or not – according to Biden’s convention. appeared to break on Monday.
On Tuesday, Biden, asked if there were any changes to US policy towards Taiwan, replied: “No.”
“The policy hasn’t changed at all. I made that statement when I made my statement yesterday,” he said after a round of talks with his Quad colleagues.
China considers Taiwan an inviolable part of its territory and says it is the most sensitive and important issue in its relationship with Washington.
Biden’s comments Monday, when he volunteered for U.S. military assistance to Taiwan, were the latest in a series of blatantly implausible assertions that show his personal inclination to protect the island. protect it.
Some critics argue that he has misrepresented the issue, or exaggerated, and his ambiguity risks spurring China to want to act without the mechanism of a formal security guarantee. .
But other policy analysts have suggested that given Biden’s extensive foreign policy experience and the context in which he made his remarks, alongside the Japanese prime minister and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, suggests that he is not wrong.
Taiwan is not an official item on the Quad’s agenda, and Biden is more about Ukraine, condemning Russia’s invasion as a global problem.
He said: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine only adds to the importance of the basic goals of international order, territorial integrity and sovereignty. International law, human rights must always be protected regardless of Where in the world are they violated?
Biden said the United States would stand with “close democratic partners” to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
‘FUN ACTION’
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida echoed Biden’s condemnation of Russia, saying that the country’s invasion “shakes the foundations of the international order” and is a direct challenge to its principles. United Nations.
We should not allow the same thing to happen in the Indo-Pacific region.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not mention Ukraine, Russia or China in his opening remarks.
India has let the United States down with what it sees as a lack of support for US-led sanctions against Russia and condemnation of its aggression.
Although India has developed a close relationship with the US in recent years and is an important part of the Quad Group to push back against China, it also enjoys a long relationship with Russia, which remains a major player in the world. supplier of defense equipment and the main source of petroleum.
India abstained from the United Nations Security Council vote on Russia’s invasion, although it has raised concerns about several killings of Ukrainian civilians.
New Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his goals were in line with the Quad Group’s priorities, telling his leaders he wanted them all to take the lead on climate change.
“The region is looking for us to work with them and lead by example,” he said.
“That’s why my government will take ambitious action on climate change and increase our support for our regional partners as they work to tackle it, including. including with new financing.”
China has been expanding its influence in the Pacific, where island nations face some of the most immediate risks from rising seas.
Regarding India’s position on Ukraine, a US official said Biden, who will hold bilateral talks with Modi later Tuesday, will seek common ground, stressing the importance of a face-to-face meeting. .
“It is true that with all members of the quad, there are some differences, the question is how they deal with it and how they manage,” the official said at a news conference ahead of the talks.
