Biden says U.S. would defend Taiwan from China

President Joe Biden on Monday said the U.S. would respond with military intervention if Taiwan came under attack from China. He said the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is “even stronger” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden offered the unusually strong statement on the second day of his visit to Japan. The White House said the president’s remarks did not represent a change in policy for the United States. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed “resolute opposition” to Biden’s comments, saying China makes no concessions over issues of territorial integrity. Earlier on Monday, Biden announced a new Indo-Pacific deal that excluded Taiwan.

How will countries benefit from the deal? The White House said the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework would allow the United States and Asian economies to better cooperate on clean energy, digital trade, supply chains, and worker protections, among other issues. The 12 member nations and the United States make up 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. Critics have pointed to several shortcomings, including the lack of lowered tariffs, greater access to U.S. markets, and other incentives for participating countries. The Biden administration announced the economic framework back in October to replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the U.S. left in 2017 under former President Donald Trump.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archive, read Leigh Jones’ report on Trump’s criticism of trade deals.