Taiwan

President Joe Biden attends an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity launch event in Tokyo on May 23. Photo: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS. Your ...

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. But the idea that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not—it’s just not appropriate. The arguably much bigger mistake is his decision not to include Taiwan in the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Administration launched on Monday.

The president's “strategic ambiguity” backtrack may hasten Taiwan Strait conflict, observers say. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in ...

Biden’s messaging on Taiwan constitutes a direct challenge to Xi’s repeated warnings that the U.S. avoid upsetting the bilateral status quo on Taiwan. “Such moves are extremely dangerous, just like playing with fire. “A question that must be on everyone’s mind in Beijing is whether the U.S. has already changed its [Taiwan] policy. “There are two dangers — Mr. Biden’s verbal blunders represent real policy, which I think the Chinese believe they do … and then we face the 2024 presidential election with a strong possibility of an even harder line by Republican candidates. Despite the risks, there is strong bipartisan support for an explicit U.S. commitment to defend Taiwan regardless of whether the U.S. could actually deliver on that promise. The Chinese government has reason to be skeptical about White House assurances that Biden’s repeated backtracking on strategic ambiguity don’t reflect U.S. policy. Biden’s Taiwan comments came during the second half of his four-day Asia trip designed to counter China’s growing economic, diplomatic and military influence in the region. China’s sensitivities about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan were primed last week when U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with John Deng, Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator, to discuss bilateral trade opportunities. This force needs to be available shortly after the United States decides to react if the response is to be in any way effective,” the report said. He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a White House official said Monday in a statement. Taiwan says it doesn’t need the U.S. to fight its battles. “He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself.” He might feel pushed into a corner by a U.S. direct challenge to Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.”

China-Taiwan tensions: Biden says U.S. to defend Taiwan against Chinese invasion on visit to Japan, but can it? Are there lessons in Putin's war on Ukraine?

But the most important steps that Taipei and Washington can take are those that persuade China never to exercise its military option — something Biden couldn’t convince Putin of. That said, Taiwan is a fraction of the landmass of Ukraine and thus easy for China to blanket with surveillance. On balance, the intervention of U.S. air and sea power could only give Taiwan a fighting chance. By contrast, Taipei should deprioritize the construction of expensive surface warships they are now building that can potentially be lost quite rapidly, as happened to Ukraine’s few ships. Geographically, because Taiwan is an island, it’s only threatened from invasion by the smaller number of troops China can land there by sea and air. Taiwan’s people and military, therefore, need to be robust enough to withstand initial assaults and hold out for weeks before the U.S. and allies could respond with full force. Right now, Beijing is watching the U.S. and its Western allies impose crushing economic sanctions on Russia, causing massive inflation and a projected 15 percent contraction of its economy. On ground and in the air, the unexpected resilience of Ukraine’s surface-to-air defenses and planes despite Russia’s much larger air force also suggests Taiwan’s might do better than expected if it smartly prioritizes long-term survival. So if the U.S. follows through on promising to intervene, can Taiwan’s defenders stave off an attack long enough for U.S. reinforcements to arrive? The U.S., too, should be assessing which of its methods in Ukraine could help Taiwan — and which wouldn’t — if Biden looks to make good on his words Monday. Taiwan is now a prosperous democracy, and a large majority of Taiwanese reject reunification with China. Biden’s remarks went beyond Washington’s historically more ambiguous stance on whether it would defend Taiwan in the case of an invasion.

If a US President keeps vowing to do something, and his aides keep insisting he won't, no one is sure what to believe -- a potential dangerous state of ...

The idea that Taiwan is part of the motherland is fundamental to modern Chinese doctrine. The reasoning is that since China is now far more powerful and threatening to Taiwan, the United States needs to make its position clearer. A White House statement said Biden merely restated US undertakings under the Taiwan Relations Act "to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself." •To be clear, the US does not have any commitment to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack. •So, if he repeatedly says the US will use military force to defend the island, shouldn't he be taken seriously? At the same time, it's aimed at depriving Taiwan of US assurances that could prompt it to push for official independence.

The White House is again walking back the president's gung-ho remarks about defending Taiwan from China. Is Biden confused or just indiscreet?

“As the President said, our policy has not changed. Even the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which is often cited by the administration, commits the US to provide weapons and other support but does not carry an obligation for military intervention if China invades. That requires consistency and a clear statement of policy.” “And so, it’s a burden that is even stronger.” Speaking at a joint press conference with Kishida, a US reporter asked Biden: “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Which begs the question: was this yet another presidential gaffe or a shift in policy?

Taiwan has built the only democracy around the South China Sea, dominates the global semiconductor trade with a near two-thirds market share, ...

Taiwan is poised to benefit from the continuing semiconductor squeeze in the short term. The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as at publication date and may change without notice. At the end of 2021, for example, TSMC announced a new plant in Phoenix, Arizona that will cost $12bn and not start production until 2024.9 The value of an investment can go up or down. Total goods exports stood at $347bn, with imports at $287bn. The country is subject to some concentration risks in the technology sector, especially since exports account for a large share of its GDP. One way to bypass China is to strengthen ties with alternative suppliers of raw materials like rare earths and production capacity owners for chips. From Singapore, ships venture on toward India and the Middle East or into Europe through the Suez Canal. Two of Taiwan’s own ports, Kao-hsiung and Taipei, are among the largest in the world. Conversely, Taiwan itself wields considerable soft power given its delicate position in the South China Sea. Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China (ROC), is a small island nation in the South China Sea, less than 100 miles from mainland China’s Fujian province. A key pillar of Taiwan’s success has been its strength in innovation and technological leadership. While Taiwan is widely known as a technology exporter, the country also controls about 10% of the world’s liner fleet. According to calculations by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think-tank, roughly a third of global shipping – and therefore almost one-quarter of the entire global trade by volume – passes through these waters.5 With Japan and Singapore, Taiwan connects two of the most critical destinations for the global economy.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he added that the U.S. maintains a "one China policy," recognizing Beijing as the government of China, but said ...

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Taipei, May 24 (CNA) The Taiwan Stock Exchange's main index opened up 10.16 points at 16166.57 Tuesday on turnover of NT$3.192 billion (US$107.76 million).

Over the course of just nine months, President Biden has said at least three times that the United States would militarily defend Taiwan in the event of an ...

And Taiwanese officials had been calling on Biden to do away with ambiguity: In an interview with the Today’s WorldView newsletter in 2020, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States called for “some degree of clarity” on the issue. On Monday, a White House official told reporters that people were misinterpreting Biden’s comments and that he was simply reiterating the 1979 pledge made to support Taiwan with the military means for self-defense. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which set out provisions for unofficial but substantive relations with Taiwan, does not call for the United States to protect Taiwan in the case of a war. It’s still a policy built on ambiguity, just with a little more strategy to back it up. Some China-watchers say that, at this point, it’s best to just assume that Biden is signaling a new policy. Here, the United States has acknowledged Beijing’s position that there is only one China but it has also said that Taiwan’s fate should not be decided by force. Lev Nachman, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, wrote on Twitter that while Biden’s language was clumsy, it wasn’t a reversal of any policy. During his visit to Tokyo on Monday, for example, Biden was asked whether the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded. But his comments have now been repeated enough that many do not buy that it’s just a mistake. “We made a sacred commitment to Article 5 that if in fact anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Though administration officials have thrice walked back these statements, amid heightened tensions with Beijing, it’s reasonable to wonder if the ambiguity is starting to wear a little thin. And Biden’s remarks about U.S. agreements with Taiwan often appear to be factually incorrect.

Shortly after dawn on a southern Taiwanese beach, Robin Hsu's iPhone pings with the first radio message of the day from Taiwan's air force as it warns away ...

"I am operating with due regard to the rights and duties of all states." But the reality is Chinese Communist planes are flying on our doorstep every day," he said. But for Taiwan, such incursions amount to a low-key war of attrition, as the island frequently scrambles aircraft to intercept Chinese planes. "People need to be aware of the crisis." "All you can do is to wave them away." The action ebbs and flows. "This is China's People's Liberation Army. I'm conducting routine exercises. "You have entered our southwestern air defence identification zone and are jeopardising aviation safety. Turn around and leave immediately." "The Chinese Communist planes are like flies on your dining table. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

TAICHUNG: Jerry Huang's aquatic pets rarely feel like two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl because they get to go for regular strolls.

It's not a spur of the moment thing. Advertisement Advertisement

Shortly after dawn on a southern Taiwanese beach, Robin Hsu's iPhone pings with the first radio message of the day from Taiwan's air force as it warns away ...

But the reality is Chinese Communist planes are flying on our doorstep every day," he said. He said the transparency could also help both militaries avoid an accidental conflict. Military experts say the strategic waters there, where the largely shallow Taiwan Strait descends in-depth, provide submarines a location for an ambush, making it a hot spot for anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft. Hsu, a former navy radar operator, described a pattern of activities off Taiwan's southwest in which U.S. military planes, often refueling and surveillance aircraft, are shadowed by Chinese planes, who are warned away by Taiwan's air force. On rare occasions, Chinese pilots have responded to Taiwan's radio communications. "I want people to know the Chinese Communist planes are very close to us," said Hsu, who releases his recordings on a Taiwanese media. Halfway through lunch, Hsu's iPhone - which is linked to a separate radio antenna - tracked another broadcast, this time in English. "I am operating with due regard to the rights and duties of all states." Taiwan's defense ministry has termed the flights "grey zone" tactics, designed to exhaust its air defenses physically and financially. The action ebbs and flows. Shortly after dawn on a southern Taiwanese beach, Robin Hsu's iPhone pings with the first radio message of the day from Taiwan's air force as it warns away Chinese aircraft. Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has complained for years of repeated Chinese air force missions into its air defense identification zone (ADIZ), which is not territorial airspace but a broader area it monitors for threats.

The big blunder is not including the island democracy in the new Indo-Pacific economic framework.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. But the idea that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not—it’s just not appropriate. The arguably much bigger mistake is his decision not to include Taiwan in the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Administration launched on Monday.

US Officials have downplayed comments made by President Joe Biden, where he indicated America would respond militarily to defend Taiwan if China invaded.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday there has been no change to U.S. policy on Taiwan, a day after saying he would be willing to use the military to defend it ...

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The big blunder is not including the island democracy in the new Indo-Pacific economic framework.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. But the idea that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not—it’s just not appropriate. The arguably much bigger mistake is his decision not to include Taiwan in the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Administration launched on Monday.

The architect of America's 1970s rapprochement with Beijing says changing the script on Taipei could risk “sliding into military conflict”.

“The relationship with China will remain a difficult one,” Mr Albanese said after being sworn in and then flying to Tokyo. However, he vowed not to politicise national security. Mr Biden said he supported the “One China” policy, which recognises China’s ultimate claim over Taiwan, but “that does not mean that China has the jurisdiction to go in and use force to take over Taiwan”. Flying into Tokyo, one of Mr Albanese’s first tasks is to frame a public position on China and Taiwan that supports the US but leaves the door ajar to a potential reset of relations with China. Mr Biden’s words provoked an immediate backlash in China. He warned that focusing on Taiwan was “bound to lead to a situation that may descend into the military sphere”, suggesting it could be a “World War I-type situation … where people slide into a conflict”. Mr Kissinger did not comment on the president’s statement directly, but said: “Taiwan cannot be the core of negotiations between China and the United States”.

The White House has been left scrambling a little after President Joe Biden suggested on May 23, 2022, that the U.S. would intervene militarily should China ...

And despite some commentary to the contrary, I don’t think the invasion of Ukraine has raised the prospects of a similar move on Taiwan. In fact, given that Russia is now bogged down in a months-long conflict that has hit its military credibility and economy, the Ukraine invasion may actually serve as a warning to Beijing. Taiwan would receive support from not only the U.S. – in an unclear capacity, given Biden’s remarks – but also Japan and likely other countries in the region. It is an absolute for Beijing. But in Taiwan, however, resistance to the idea of reunification has grown amid a surge of support for moving the island toward independence. A critical section of that document stated: “The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position.” Beijing has become more aggressive of late in asserting that Taiwan must be “returned to China.” Domestic politics plays a role in this. After establishing formal diplomatic relations with China in 1979, the U.S. built an informal relationship with the ROC on Taiwan. In part to push back against President Jimmy Carter’s decision to recognize communist China, U.S. lawmakers passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979. China has long maintained its desire for an eventual peaceful reunification of its country with the island it considers a rogue province. And until the 1970s, the U.S. recognized only this exiled Republic of China on Taiwan as the government of China. Instead, it was acknowledging what the governments of either territory asserted – that there is “one China.” Traditionally, this has been a useful policy for the U.S., but things have changed since it was first rolled out. Crucially, the U.S. hasn’t really said what it will do – so does this support mean economic aid, supply of weapons or U.S. boots on the ground? Strategic ambiguity has long been the U.S. policy toward Taiwan – really since the 1950s but certainly from 1979 onward.

The big blunder is not including the island democracy in the new Indo-Pacific economic framework.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. But the idea that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not—it’s just not appropriate. The arguably much bigger mistake is his decision not to include Taiwan in the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Administration launched on Monday.

US President Joe Biden's warning the US would defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression has made headlines around the world -- and put growing tensions ...

But on the streets of Taipei, the mood appears to be mostly relaxed and confident. But tensions began to ease in the late 1980s, allowing limited private visits, indirect trade and investment across the strait. Military conflicts continued to flare up, with the PRC shelling several outlying islands controlled by the ROC on two separate occasions. And under Xi, China has become increasingly assertive in foreign policy and grown more authoritarian at home. At the same time, it's aimed at depriving Taiwan of US assurances that could prompt it to declare official independence. "My expectation is it will not happen," he told reporters. The goal is to preserve the status quo and to avoid a war in Asia -- and it has worked, allowing Washington to walk the tightrope of relations with both sides. It was then ceded to Japan in 1895 after Imperial China lost the First Sino-Japanese War. But under Biden, that "strategic ambiguity" has become somewhat less ambiguous. But today, relations are at their lowest point in decades -- raising fears of military escalation, even as experts caution that an imminent all-out war remains unlikely. Tensions are running especially high as the Chinese military ramps up its pressure on the island, in response to what Beijing sees as "provocations" by the administrations in Taiwan and the US. But following a diplomatic conflict between Beijing and Moscow in the 1960s -- known as the Sino-Soviet split -- relations between the PRC and the US began to thaw to counterbalance the Soviet Union.

The World Health Organisation's annual assembly says Taiwan's bid to attend has been rejected amid Chinese opposition.

Loyce Pace, US envoy to the assembly, said that Taiwan has been a critical partner contributing constructively to global health and that the United States "deeply regrets" its exclusion from attending the assembly as an observer. "China's repeated use of politics to override the public interest of global health security and harm the health and human rights of the Taiwanese people is unacceptable to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," it said in a statement. World Health Assembly (WHA) President Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh, also Djibouti's health minister, said in a statement that a proposal sent by 13 WHO members to allow Taiwan to join as an observer would not be included in its official agenda.

Photo taken on March 30, 2021 shows an exterior view of the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia).

It is also time for some countries to stop politicizing health issues and interfering in China's internal affairs by exploiting the Taiwan question. The WHA has rejected Taiwan-related proposals for six consecutive years, which has fully showed that any attempt to violate the common aspiration and to reverse the overriding trend will face an inevitable demise. The Taiwan region's participation in the WHA must be handled in accordance with the one-China principle and through cross-strait consultations. Since April 2021, as many as 47 experts from Taiwan have been approved to participate in the WHO-organized technical activities for 44 times. There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The Taiwan region's participation in the activities of international organizations, including the WHO, must be handled under the one-China principle. Such a move has laid bare their political plot to engage in "Taiwan independence" separatist activities by hyping up their participation in the WHA.

PEACE THROUGH HEALTH: Lithuanian health minister Arunas Dulkys said that the COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that needs global responses, ...

Taiwan is on alert for monkeypox, a rare viral disease that has caused 87 infections in 11 countries over the past three weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday. The WHO on Friday convened an emergency session to discuss a sudden outbreak of monkeypox in North America and Europe. Since the beginning of this month, 87 confirmed cases and 28 possible cases have been identified in 11 countries. The skeletons were found at three sites, along with glass beads, copper bells and rings, discs and a fish-shaped metal knot, it said. Ninth graders were asked to define “trolling” on this year’s standardized exam, reflecting efforts to make the test better reflect real-life situations. ‘LONE WOLF’: The suspect was difficult to locate, as he did not use a cellphone, did not contact family and often lived in abandoned sites or parks, police said Taipei police on Thursday morning arrested a man accused of numerous burglaries and at least 14 incidents of sexual assault spanning more than 20 years, in what might be the nation’s most notorious crime spree in recent years. A task force comprised of various law enforcement agencies arrested Tu as part of an investigation into an April 28 burglary in Daan District (大安), in which a “The US deeply regrets that Taiwan, a critical partner contributing constructively to global health, has been excluded from attending the assembly as an observer,” Pace said.

President Joe Biden insisted on Tuesday that the U.S. has made no change to its strategic policy on Taiwan.

"This WAS NOT a gaffe or a misspeak on President Biden's part — his view may not be the view of his advisors," McNeal, a CNBC contributor, wrote in an email Tuesday morning. Later that day, a White House official attempted to clarify that Biden "was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change." "The policy has not changed at all," he said when asked if his earlier comments signaled an end to the U.S. approach of strategic ambiguity American diplomats have followed for decades. "As the President said, our policy has not changed. The U.S. president startled many of the delegates when he suggested Monday that the U.S. could deploy American troops on the island should China invade. Despite Biden's clarification, it remains unclear whether the president's comments were a gaffe or intentional. The act obligates the U.S. "to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan." The remarks came as a surprise departure from decades of U.S. policy that has warned China against using force in Taiwan — but has remained vague about the extent to which it would defend the island. When asked by a reporter if he "was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan," Biden said "yes." President Joe Biden insisted Tuesday that the U.S. hasn't changed its strategic policy on Taiwan, a day after he angered Beijing when he said his administration would be willing to use military force to defend the island. - The remarks came as a surprise departure from decades of U.S. policy that has opted to remain vague about the extent to which Washington would defend the island. - Asked by a reporter on Monday if he "was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan," Biden said "yes."

It was no gaffe when the president said the U.S. would defend the island against China, but good policy.

Biden laid down his new rules at a moment of unusual vulnerability for China. By the time the Chinese have a better opportunity to act, the more explicit U.S. policy will have become a settled fact. President Biden had good reason to worry that the four-decades-old policy was losing its effectiveness in the face of rising Chinese assertiveness. His words in Tokyo were not a gaffe, not a blurt. If so, the credibility of the American commitment needed to be reaffirmed by Trump’s successor. Ukraine was not a formal U.S. ally before the Russian invasion. What you do have to worry about is whether or not they’re going to engage in activities that will put them in a position where there—they may make a serious mistake. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?” Biden answered, “Yes.” But if there is a tangle, it’s not Biden’s fault. If they invade, there isn’t a fucking thing we can do about it.” Those words were uttered by Trump in private, according to a book by the Washington Post reporter Josh Rogin. But Biden had to worry that Trump communicated his feelings to Xi in their private conversations. We are not going to change any of our views. We made a sacred commitment to Article Five that if in fact anyone were to invade or take action against our NATO allies, we would respond. Don’t worry about whether we’re going to—they’re going to be more powerful.

For the third time in his presidency, Joe Biden has declared that the United States will defend Taiwan if it is invaded by Communist China.

Better that China know that now, before an invasion — so we can prevent one from happening in the first place. We also need to make sure Taiwan has the weapons to defend itself. So we must deploy weapons — including intermediate-range conventional missiles, armed drones and anti-ship weapons in Guam, Japan and the Philippines — that would allow us to prevent China from doing so. We also need to have the right capabilities in the region to back up our new deterrence posture. Biden was right the first time — and the second and third time, too. At a news conference in Tokyo on Monday, Biden was asked: “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons.

Biden's astute pledge to defend the island democracy was no gaffe.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Second, U.S. defense spending, despite nominal increases, is also too low in the teeth of inflation, with a Navy that continues to shrink in a world far more dangerous in this decade than it was in the last. So should U.S. sales of the kinds of smaller weapon systems — Stingers, Javelins, Switchblades — that have foiled the Russians in Ukraine and that are hard to target and easy to disperse. The point is to raise the costs of an invasion beyond anything even a headstrong chauvinist like Xi is willing to pay. Biden may have wanted to model his presidency on F.D.R.’s and the New Deal. History may give him no choice but to model it on Truman’s and containment. In Tokyo he stressed that an invasion of Taiwan would be a catastrophe on a par with Ukraine — and that he’d be willing to go much further to stop it. The Biden administration should stress to Taipei that the American public’s appetite to help our allies militarily is directly proportionate to their willingness to help themselves. The second, the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, is the basis for our continued ties to Taiwan as a self-governing entity. This is a good way of not repeating Dean Acheson’s infamous 1950 mistake of excluding South Korea from the U.S. defense perimeter in Asia, which invited North Korea’s invasion later that year. All the more so after the chaotic U.S. retreat from Afghanistan threatened to turn into a global rout. He did so by flouting the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling against China’s outrageous claims to possess most of the South China Sea. He did so through a policy of industrial-scale theft of U.S. intellectual property and government data. Don’t believe the diplomatic spin that there’s nothing to see here.

The big blunder is not including the island democracy in the new Indo-Pacific economic framework.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. But the idea that it could be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not—it’s just not appropriate. The arguably much bigger mistake is his decision not to include Taiwan in the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework that the Administration launched on Monday.