China lambasted and expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" to President Joe Biden's statement on the willingness of the United States to help defend Taiwan itself, saying Beijing will not permit foreign forces to meddle in its internal issues.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that "there is no room for compromise" on matters relating to China's "sovereignty and territorial integrity and other core interests."
The official urged to refrain from sending "any wrong signal to pro-Taiwan independence and separatist forces" to avoid "serious damage to the situation across the Taiwan Strait and China-US relations."
"We urged the US side to earnestly follow the One China principle ... be cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue.." Wenbin noted.
China's reaction came hours after President Biden cautioned on Monday that if Beijing attempted to seize Taiwan by force, the US would engage militarily, a threat that appeared to depart from Washington's typical careful ambiguity, as per CNN.
Biden Ensures That the US Will Help Taiwan If China Attacks
In a joint media conference in Tokyo, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden was asked if the US would go further to aid Taiwan in the case China launches an attack similar to what Russia did to Ukraine.
He was asked by a journalist if the US is "willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?"
Biden replied "Yes. That's the commitment we made."
He explained that Washington agrees with the One China policy and "signed on to it and all the attendant agreements", however, the notion that Taiwan can be "taken by force" is not appropriate.
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US Recognizes One China Policy but Also Has a Defense Pact with Taiwan
The diplomatic acceptance of China's assertion that there is only one Chinese government is known as the One China policy.The US recognizes but does not embrace, Beijing's claims that Taiwan is a part of China within this framework. Although the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it does have a "robust unofficial relationship."
Taiwan is only about 110 miles (177 kilometers) off China's coast. Despite the fact that the two parts have been ruled independently for more than 70 years, China's governing Communist Party has claimed the island as its own despite never having had control of it.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has stated that the "reunification" of China and Taiwan is imminent and has refused to rule out the use of force. Friction between Beijing and Taipei is at an all-time high, with the Chinese military sending an unprecedented number of warplanes near the island.
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, on the other hand, assures that Washington would provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself against Beijing's unilateral unification of the island. However, if China invades Taiwan, this act does not oblige the US to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan, as per a report from CNBC.
Biden's pronouncements were tempered by the White House. "As the president said, our position has not changed," an official said in a statement to reporters, Politico reported.
"He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself," the statement noted.
