China has lately been flying more fighter jets into Taiwan’s air defense zone than ever before, and President Biden’s comments may be America’s most solid assurance yet to Taiwan.
President Biden, while taking questions at a CNN town hall meeting, was asked by a member of the audience if the US would defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack. Mr. Biden replied in the affirmative.
Pressed by Anchor Anderson Cooper on the same subject, the President said, ‘Yes, we have a commitment to do that.’
Did the US commit to defending Taiwan?
The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty between Taiwan (Republic of China) and the US, signed in 1955, did have such a provision. According to that treaty, if one country comes under attack, the other will come to its direct aid.
But that treaty between Taiwan and the US was abrogated in 1980 after the US established relations with mainland China (PRC).
But the US President Jimmy Carter’s decision to scrap the treaty was considered unilateral by several members in the US Congress, and the issue went to the supreme court. Although the Supreme court did not interfere, the political pressure led to the creation of another law.
The ‘Taiwan Relations Act,’ which came into effect shortly after, commits the US to provide Taiwan with defense equipment.
Although arming Taiwan for its self-defense has been specified in the act, a direct response from the US in case of a conflict had not been directly addressed. This was known as ‘strategic ambiguity’ all these years.