Opinion: Biden’s confusing Taiwan-China remarks deal a blow to his credibility – By Zeeshan Aleem (MSNBC) / May 23, 2022
A cryptic pledge to militarily protect Taiwan from China showcases a tendency to speak recklessly.
President Joe Biden turned heads on Monday when he pledged that the U.S. would militarily intervene against China if it invaded Taiwan, and signaled that his commitment to the island was stronger than to Ukraine. The confrontational statement marked a sharp departure from the U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan that has prevailed for decades.
But shortly after his remarks, Biden’s administration downplayed the statement, saying that the president had in fact not meant to signal a policy change, and that the usual U.S. posture on Taiwan remained intact.
It’s becoming a familiar pattern: Biden makes a bold statement expressing a new degree of readiness for war with a rival or adversary like China or Russia, and then his own staff walks it back. It’s also becoming a troubling pattern — while domestic audiences can laugh off Biden’s gaffes and missteps, there is no guarantee foreign powers will give him the benefit of the doubt. Biden is marring the credibility of his own speech, and potentially unwittingly causing the U.S.’s opponents to come to the conclusion that the U.S. is more inclined toward war than it is.
CONTINUE > https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/why-biden-s-taiwan-china-comments-are-troubling-n1295641
