The United States would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, President Joe Biden said Monday, in one of the most forceful and overt statements in support of Taiwan in decades.
Biden said the burden to protect the self-ruled island was "even stronger" after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Biden said, "That’s the commitment we made." He said an effort by China to use force against Taiwan would "just not be appropriate," saying it "will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine."
Under the "One China" policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the government of China and doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, it maintains unofficial contacts with Taiwan, including a de facto embassy in Taipei, the capital. The U.S. also supplies military equipment for the island’s defense.
Biden also promised "concrete benefits" for the people of the Indo-Pacific region from a new trade pact he was set to launch, designed to signal U.S. dedication to the contested economic sphere and address the need for stability in commerce after disruptions caused by the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden said the new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework would also increase U.S. cooperation with other nations in the region.
Countries signing on to the framework were to be announced Monday during Biden's visit to Tokyo for talks with Kishida. It is the latest step by the Biden administration to try to preserve and broaden U.S. influence in a region that until recently looked to be under the growing sway of China.
Kishida hosted a formal state welcome for Biden at Akasaka Palace, including a white-clad military honor guard and band in the front plaza. Kishida, in brief remarks, said he was "absolutely delighted" to welcome Biden to Tokyo on the first Asia trip of his presidency. Along with Biden, he drove a tough line against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, saying it "undermines the foundation of global order."
Biden, who is in the midst of a five-day visit to South Korea and Japan, called the U.S.-Japanese alliance a "cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific" and thanked Japan for its "strong leadership" in standing up to Russia.
The White House announced plans to build the economic framework in October as a replacement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the U.S. dropped out of in 2017 under then-President Donald Trump.
Biden's first stop Monday was a private meeting with Emperor Naruhito of Japan at Naruhito's residence on the lush grounds of the Imperial Palace before the talks with Kishida.
The launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, also known as IPEF, has been billed by the White House as one of the bigger moments of Biden's Asia trip and of his ongoing effort to bolster ties with Pacific allies. Through it all, administration officials have kept a close eye on China's growing economic and military might in the region.
In September the U.S. announced a new partnership with Australia and Britain called AUKUS that is aimed at deepening security, diplomatic and defense cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Through that AUKUS partnership, Australia will purchase nuclear-powered submarines, and the U.S. is to increase rotational force deployments to Australia.