US President Joe Biden says not ruling out using military force to defend Taiwan

US President Joe Biden has not ruled out the possibility of using American military force to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasionIn an interview published on Tuesday in Time magazine Biden said he has made clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States will not seek independence for Taiwan as Washington had agreed with Beijing Focus Taiwan reportedNot ruling out using US military force Theres a distinction between deploying on the ground air power and naval power he said in the exclusive interview to the magazine conducted at the White House on May 28If China tries to change the status quo unilaterally were continuing to supply capacity to Taiwan Biden said Weve been in consultation with our allies in the region the US President saidAsked if the US military would launch strikes from its bases in Japan or the Philippines Biden said I cant get into that You would then criticize me with good reason if I were to tell youThe Time article cited US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns as saying that Xi instructed his countrys military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027Tensions have been fraught between between the United States and China over Taiwan even as Biden and Xi have agreed to ease tensionsBeijing sees Taiwans new President Lai Chingte who was inaugurated on May 20 as a separatist and supporter of Taiwans independenceDays after Lai Chingte was sworn in China launched twodaylong military drills on Thursday surrounding Taiwan in what it called punishment for socalled separatist acts CNN reportedThe reason for Chinas drill is Lais inaugural speech in which he called on Beijing to stop intimidating the island nation over which China continues to make its claimThe United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan and also supplies the island with arms to maintain sufficient selfdefence capabilitiesTalking about the Chinese economy Biden told Time magazine Where is it coming from Where is it going to grow Youve got an economy thats on the brink there The idea that their economy is booming Give me a breakBiden in the interview with the US magazine also termed Chinas signature Belt and Road global infrastructure drive as a nuisance graveyard initiativeThe US president said that expanding cooperation with its European and Asian allies as well as strengthening relations with developing countries will be critical in maintaining US leadership in the international communityA trilateral ministerial meeting held on June 2 in Singapore attended by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin Japans Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru and South Koreas Minister of National Defense Shin Wonsik The three officials said there was no change in their nations position on Taiwan and that regional peace was an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international communityThey also called for a peaceful resolution to crossstrait issuesAustin on Friday met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in the first inperson talks between the two countries defence chiefs since November 2022 In the meeting held on the sidelines of the ShangiLa dialogue expressing concern about Chinas provocative military activities near TaiwanMeanwhile The United States House Appropriations Committee on Monday introduced a bill to provide USD500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to strengthen deterrence across the Taiwan StraitThe Fiscal Year 2025 State Foreign Operations and Related Programs Bill also sought to offer Taiwan up to US2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose according to the committee as reported in Focus TaiwanThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever