
President Joe Biden said the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if the island was invaded by Chinese forces, in a broad-ranging interview on CBS 60 Minutes broadcast on Sunday where he also said the Covid-19 pandemic was now “over” and chided his predecessor’s handling of critical government documents.
Biden told CBS that U.S. forces will defend Taiwan in the event of an “unprecedented attack” and when pressed on if this meant sending troops to defend the island from a Chinese invasion, Biden said “yes”.
Prior to this, Biden said the U.S. still adheres to the one-China policy and is not encouraging Taiwan to seek independence—but added “Taiwan makes their own judgments.”
Following the interview, a White House official clarified Washington’s official policy on Taiwan has not changed.