United States says it is ready to defend Taiwan militarily in case of attack by China
US President Joe Biden.
Nicholas Kamm AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In an exchange with voters broadcast by CNN, US President Joe Biden said the United States was ready to defend the island if a Chinese attack took place.
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Tension is mounting around the
Taiwanese file
.
On Thursday, the US president said he was ready to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack from China, which considers the island to be one of its provinces.
"
Yes, we have a commitment in this direction
", declared the head of state questioned on the subject during an exchange with voters.
This summer,
the American president
had already gone in this direction by evoking his "
sacred commitment
" to defend the NATO allies in Canada and in Europe, and "the
same with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan
".
"
China, Russia and the rest of the world know that we have the most powerful military capacity in the world,
" he added before reiterating his will not to engage in a new cold war with Beijing.
"Dangerous measures"
This Friday, China called on Joe Biden to be "careful" after his remarks.
"
On issues related to its fundamental interests, such as its sovereignty and territorial integrity, China will leave no room for compromise,
" Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters.
For his part, the Chinese ambassador to the UN considered that the country is in a position of "
defense
".
“
We are fighting to maintain our sovereignty and our territorial integrity.
We are not the troublemaker.
On the contrary, some countries, the United States in particular, are taking dangerous measures leading directly to a dangerous situation in Taiwan,
”he said.
► Also to listen: Decryption - Taiwan / China: why the tension is rising?
(With AFP)
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United States
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