Will send troops if China invades Taiwan: Joe Biden

Tokyo: President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States would intervene militarily if China were to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan, again sowing confusion over American policy in the region. Speaking during a news conference in Tokyo alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden said Beijing was already "flirting with danger" with its recent military drills and other aggression toward Taiwan, which China views as its own territory.

The question came up in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"You didn't want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons," a reporter asked. "Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?" "Yes," Biden responded. "That's the commitment we made," he added.

Shortly after the President's comments, a White House official appeared to walk back the declaration that the US could intervene militarily. "As the President said, our policy has not changed. He reiterated our One China Policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the official said.