The United States will reiterate that it stands by its commitments to Taiwan at a high-level summit next month. That’s the word from White House spokesperson Jen Psaki on Thursday as US President Joe Biden prepares to embark on a trip to Asia next month.
During the trip, Biden will hold a summit with leaders from India, Japan and Australia, as part of the so-called Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad for short.
At a recent press briefing, White House spokesperson Psaki was asked if Biden will bring up tensions between Taiwan and China at the Quad summit. Psaki says that the Biden administration’s position on Taiwan has not changed and that the president will take the opportunity to reiterate the White House’s stance. The spokesperson says that US policy on Taiwan is still based on the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
Under the terms of the act, the United States urges Taiwan and China to resolve their differences through “peaceful means”. Washington also commits to giving Taiwan “arms of a defensive character” while maintaining its own ability to resist “any resort to force” against Taiwan.