Biden Clarifies Taiwan Remarks, Affirms 'Strategic Ambiguity'

President Joe Biden clarified on Tuesday that his remarks on the U.S. militarily defending Taiwan against China would not change the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” on the issue of Taiwanese independence.

When a reporter asked Biden on Tuesday if strategic ambiguity was “dead,” Biden replied, “No.” When asked to explain, Biden responded, “No,” later adding, “The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday.”

Biden told reporters on Monday that his administration’s Taiwan policy “has not changed” and that the U.S. agreed with the “one China” policy. However, when asked if the U.S. “would be willing to defend Taiwan militarily,” Biden replied, “Yes. That’s the commitment we made.” Many took his comments as an “apparent U.S. policy shift,” prompting White House officials to assert to the media that Biden’s remarks were not a departure from the policy of strategic ambiguity. 

Coverage across the spectrum highlighted that this was not the first time the White House had “walked back” comments by Biden on Taiwan. A New York Times (Lean Left bias) article said offhand remarks had become “a feature of the Biden presidency” that left “staff scrambling to spin them away.” Coverage from the right portrayed the walk-back somewhat more negatively; a New York Post (Lean Right bias) news article began with the phrase, “Who’s in charge here anyway?”