US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States is obligated to make sure Taiwan has the means to defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act. His comments came during an interview with NBC News on Sunday.
Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979 to help guide US-Taiwan ties after the two countries ended official diplomatic relations. The act requires the United States to provide Taiwan with the weapons it needs to defend itself.
During the NBC interview on Sunday, Blinken said the US is concerned about China’s “aggressive actions” toward Taiwan and Japan. He warned China that any attempt to disrupt the status quo in the region would be a “serious mistake.”
Blinken’s warning comes just days after a US destroyer passed through the Taiwan Strait on April 7. Beijing says that voyage needlessly escalated tensions.
When asked whether the United States would take military action if China attacked Taiwan, Blinken was noncommittal. He says, simply, that the US has a “serious commitment to Taiwan being able to defend itself.”