Joe Biden’s arrival at the White House four years after Donald Trump was hailed by the left as the beginning of a new era in US foreign policy. We were told, the “adults” answered again. Yet the first half of Mr Biden’s presidency was anything but certain, with the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan last year undermining the seemingly undeserved reputation of diplomatic expertise.
President Biden is currently on his first tour of Asia, where he has seemingly announced a new policy toward China over Beijing’s claims to Taiwan. Asked at a news conference in Tokyo if he would like to join the military to protect Taiwan, he said: “Yes … this is a commitment we have made.” In fact, this is not a commitment ever made by America. The policy is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that “the United States will provide Taiwan with such defense items and defense services in such quantities as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities.” .
In addition, the law states that the policy will not be changed unilaterally by the president, and any decision to protect Taiwan will be made with the consent of Congress. Of course, the State Department was once again obliged to “go backwards”, as is euphemistically known in Washington, to Mr. Biden’s comments. America’s policy remains intact, officials said.
Something similar happened in March, when Mr Biden appears to have called for a regime change in Moscow, only to deny the White House that it was a stated US ambition. Strategic ambiguity can help autocracies like China and Russia to guess, but sowing confusion is dangerous.
Add Comment