China says no compromise or trade-offs over Taiwan after Biden's remark to defend the island

Beijing: China said on Friday no one shall expect China to make any compromise or trade-offs over the issue of Taiwan, after US President Joe Biden said that the US is committed to defending the island if it is attacked by China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reasserted China’s longstanding claim over the self-ruled island at a daily briefing in Beijing.

Biden’s remark has prompted experts to re-interpret the long-held US policy of “strategic ambiguity” whether his administration remained committed to this policy or it is further stretching it or departing from it. The US has for years maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” under which it provides key military support to Taiwan but does not explicitly promise to come to the island’s defense in the event of a Chinese attack. 

The White House officials later said that US policy on Taiwan had “not changed”.

Wang urged the US to be prudent with its words and actions on the Taiwan question, and avoid sending wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, so as not to seriously damage China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He added the US should not underestimate China’s “staunch determination, firm will and strong ability” to defend against what



it sees as threats to its sovereignty.

China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan in recent months and sent dozens of its aircraft into the islands’ air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and also conducted beach landing exercises near Taiwan strait. China maintains that it is committed to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary. 

Taiwan’s Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said earlier this month that military tension across the strait was at its worst in more than 40 years, and that China would be capable of mounting a “full-scale” invasion by 2025.

China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday lashed out at Nicholas Burns, President Joe Biden's nominee to be the next US ambassador to Beijing, for his sharp criticism of China's hardline policies over Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and Taiwan, saying he should not underestimate China's strong resolve to defend its rights. 

Burns told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing those reports of China building up its nuclear arsenal are concerning and called on Beijing to halt its "genocide in Xinjiang, its abuses in Tibet, its smothering of Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms, and its bullying of Taiwan."