New Delhi: In the middle of rising Beijing’s tension with the US, Japan, India, Taiwan, and other countries, President of China Xi Jinping has urged China’s military to focus attention on gearing up for military action.
Chinese leader at a conference on national defense and military reform in Beijing said, “It is imperative to conscientiously summarize and apply successful experience in reforms, to master new situations and understand the requirements of the tasks, to focus on preparing for wars, and to have the courage to explore and innovate,”
The conference was attended by high-ranking representatives of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), the People’s Armed Police Force, and military academies. President Xi Jinping has served as chairman of the CMC since 2013.
However, a few days back, President Biden said, “the US will defend Taiwan if China stages an unprecedented attack on the island,”
In an interview with the media that aired a few days back, Biden was asked if US forces would defend Taiwan — a self-ruled democracy that sits roughly 100 miles off the Chinese coast and is claimed by Beijing as part of China.
“Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack,” Biden replied.
Asked again if, unlike in Ukraine, U.S. forces would get involved in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied: “Yes.”
Biden said the U.S. was not encouraging Taiwan’s independence — a red line for Beijing — but he added: “Taiwan makes their own judgments about their independence…that’s their decision.”
(Vinayak)