June 5 :
American military intervention to protect Taiwan from a Chinese invasion is still a possibility, according to US President Joe Biden. Biden assured Chinese President Xi Jinping in an interview published Tuesday in Time magazine that Washington will not pursue Taiwanese independence, as previously agreed upon with Beijing, according to Focus Taiwan. Using US military force is still an option. In an exclusive interview held at the White House on May 28, he explained that there is a difference between ground deployment, air power, and naval power.
Biden said that "we're continuing to supply capacity (to Taiwan)" in the event that China attempted to alter the current situation unilaterally. "We've been in consultation with our allies in the region," the US President added. "I can't get into that," Biden replied when asked whether US forces would fire strikes from bases in the Philippines or Japan. In that case, your criticism of me would be well-founded. According to William Burns, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, Xi told his country's military to be prepared to invade Taiwan by 2027, according to the Time report.
Despite Biden and Xi's agreement to defuse tensions, the US-China relationship has remained tense because of Taiwan. Beijing views the newly elected President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan as a "separatist" who advocates for Taiwan's independence, according to Beijing's assessment.
In what it referred to as "punishment" for so-called "separatist acts," CNN reported that China began two-day-long military manoeuvres on Thursday, surrounding Taiwan, only days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in. The inauguration speech of Lai called on Beijing to cease bullying the island nation, which China continues to claim, and this is the cause for China's exercise. The U.S. has kept up informal connections with Taiwan and continues to provide the island with weaponry so that it can defend itself adequately. Biden spoke with Time magazine about the Chinese economy. "From where is it emanating?" In what directions will it expand? Your economy is precariously balanced. That they are seeing economic growth? I need a break.
According to Biden, China's flagship Belt and Road global infrastructure effort is a "nuisance graveyard initiative." This was mentioned in an interview with the US magazine. To keep the United States at the head of the pack internationally, the president said, the country must work to increase collaboration with its friends in Asia and Europe and forge closer ties with developing nations.
Shin Won-sik, Minister of National Defence of South Korea, Kihara Minoru, Minister of Defence of Japan, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin met in Singapore on June 2 for a trilateral ministerial meeting. Reiterating their countries' long-standing stances on Taiwan, the three leaders emphasised the need of regional harmony as "an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community."
They emphasised the importance of resolving cross-strait conflicts peacefully. The first face-to-face meeting between the two nations' military chiefs since November 2022 took place on Friday when Austin met with his Chinese colleague Dong Jun. They voiced their displeasure with China's "provocative" military actions near Taiwan during the meeting that took place on the fringes of the Shangi-La talks.
Taiwan would get $500 million in foreign military funding from the United States House Appropriations Committee to bolster deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, according to a bill filed on Monday by the committee. Focus Taiwan reports that the committee stated that the goal of the Fiscal Year 2025 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programmes Bill was to provide Taiwan with loans and credit guarantees totaling up to US$2 billion.
