No change to US policy of 'strategic ambiguity' on Taiwan, Biden says

TOKYO • President Joe Biden said yesterday that there was no change to a US policy of "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan, a day after he angered China by saying he would be willing to use force to defend the democratic island.

The issue of Taiwan loomed over a meeting in Tokyo of leaders of the Quad grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India, who stressed their determination to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of an increasingly assertive China, although Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the group was not aimed at any one country.

But Mr Biden's comment on Taiwan, which was not even on the official agenda at the Quad meeting, was the focus of much of the attention of the delegations and media.

Asked on Monday if Washington was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, Mr Biden replied: "Yes. That's the commitment we made."

But asked yesterday if there had been any change to the US policy on Taiwan, he responded: "No."

"The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday," he said.

The US is "playing with fire", the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Monday. Washington is "using the 'Taiwan card' to contain China, and will itself get burned", said Ms Zhu Fenglian, a spokesman for the office.

State news agency Xinhua said Ms Zhu "urged the United States to stop any remarks or actions" that violate previously established principles between the two countries.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE