Blinken says any move by China to invade Taiwan would have 'terrible consequences'
WASHINGTON, - Any move by China to invade Taiwan would have
"terrible consequences," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said
on Friday, adding that he hoped Chinese leaders would think very carefully
about "not precipitating a crisis" across the Taiwan Strait.
Blinken, speaking at the Reuters Next conference, said China
had been trying to change the status quo over self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing
claims as its territory, and that the United States is "resolutely
committed" to making sure the island has the means to defend itself.
"But here again, I hope that China's leaders think very
carefully about this and about not precipitating a crisis that would have, I
think, terrible consequences for lots of people, and one that's in no one's
interest, starting with China," Blinken said.
Asked specifically if the United States could commit to send
military forces in the event of an invasion, Blinken said: "We've been
very clear and consistently clear, over many years that we are committed to
making sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and ... we will continue
to make good on that commitment."
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has been trying to
carve out more space for Taiwan in the international system amid what it says
are Beijing's coercive military and diplomatic efforts to isolate the
democratically governed island.
Biden caused a stir in October when he said the United
States, which is obliged by a 1979 law to provide Taiwan with the means to
defend itself, would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked.
His remarks appeared to depart from a long-held U.S. policy
of "strategic ambiguity" toward Taiwan as to how Washington would
respond to such a scenario. The White House said Biden was not signaling a
change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan, and some analysts dismissed his comments
as a gaffe.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has vowed to defend the
island, and says only its people can decide its future.
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