Biden angers China with vow to defend Taiwan
President Joe Biden vowed Monday that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the island by force, prompting Beijing to warn that America was "playing with fire."
Speaking in Tokyo, Biden compared China's threat to self-ruled Taiwan to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, delivering his strongest remarks to date on the issue amid rising tensions over Beijing's growing economic and military power.
"We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it," Biden said -- referring to Washington's diplomatic recognition of Beijing as the sole government of China.
Beijing, which considers Taiwan a rebellious province and has recently intensified military pressure on the island, warned that Washington is playing a risky game.
The United States is "playing with fire," warned the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.
Zhu "urged the United States to stop any remarks or actions" that violate previously established principles between the two countries.
Biden's remarks, in a press conference together with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, offered democratic Taiwan its loudest reassurance in decades but also brought more uncertainty to the US stance.
The policy was designed both to keep Beijing from declaring war and to stop Taiwan from formally declaring independence.
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