Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Thursday that China should know the US is willing to go to war over Taiwan, pointing to comments made by President Biden that he would defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.
Haines made the remarks at a House Intelligence Committee hearing when asked by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) if she thinks the US should change its policy of “strategic ambiguity” over the question of defending Taiwan. “I think it is clear to the Chinese what our position is, based on the president’s comments,” she said.
In September 2022, President Biden was asked if American men and women would be deployed to Taiwan if China attacked, and he replied, “Yes.” Unlike previous times he made the commitment, the White House did not walk it back. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s top Asia official on the National Security Council, said at the time that the president’s comments “speak for themselves.”
For decades, the US policy was not to say one way or another if it would come to Taiwan’s defense. The policy served two purposes: China wouldn’t be sure what the cost of an invasion would be, and Taiwan wouldn’t be emboldened to take any action that would provoke a Chinese attack.
Biden administration officials insist there hasn’t been an official change in US policy on the issue but have made clear, unlike in Ukraine, Biden would directly intervene with troops in a Taiwan conflict to fight China despite the risk of nuclear war.
Haines also said at the hearing that “it’s not our assessment that China wants to go to war” over Taiwan. Beijing’s official stance is that it seeks “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan but doesn’t rule out the use of force.
China has been increasing military pressure on Taiwan in direct response to the US stepping up support for the island. Chinese officials have warned if the US doesn’t change its policies in the region, it will lead to “conflict and confrontation.”
How exciting! I do hope they come in attractive colors, the body bags, I mean.
Now, with so many women in the military, I think it is important to have certain ‘feminine’ qualities.
Rainbow body bags?
Just by ignoring international law and the rest of the world, the USA continues its mad path to losing all by wanting too much power it has no idea how to use for good purposes.
Eventually, the people of Taiwan will tire of being used as a pawn on the US chessboard. Three things may cause that to happen sooner rather than later.
– By helping the US establish a military foothold so close to the mainland, they put themselves in the same position as Ukraine has done with Russia.
– The US is not nearly as important to Taiwan’s economic interests as the mainland.
– Too many round eyes in Taiwan will be even less welcome there than they have been in Japan.
USA seems to forget something. The Pacific Ocean is a big ocean to cross and ships do sink.
“I think it is clear to the Chinese what our position is, based on the president’s comments,” she said.
Ok then. I guess we have to take that to mean that when Biden says something, he means it. He also said this:
“If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2.”
Now, handcuff his ass and charge him with an act of terrorism and it’s off to GITMO.
!!! Time to bring back the guillotine?…
The big mystery to me is China’s unwillingness to grasp the nettle and put a halt to Neocon aggression. Will the Washington War Party ever be at a greater military disadvantage? How does Beijing conceive they’re going to defeat this direct and loudly forecast aggression?
Half a million homeless people, people going to Mexico for medical care and medications, railroads that derail and roads that are full of potholes, still 40 year high inflation, and yet all we care about is “defending” a Chinese island from..get this..China? These neocons sure have their priorities straight.
“DNI Haines Says China Should Know the US Is Willing to Defend Taiwan Her assessment is based on President Biden’s repeated pledges to intervene if China attacks Taiwan”
Since almost every country on earth recognizes that Taiwan is a province of Mainland China.
So if the US wants to pull Taiwan away from China then China should help Texas separate from the US and become an independent country. Logically that is the same process that the US is pushing with Taiwan.
Nicely done CT, nicely done.
I’m not terribly fond of Texas anyway. Oh, that’s not true. I love Texas. Lots of good old folks there.
So it’s up to “Foggy Bottom” to try to push China to attack Taiwan by interfering with reunification efforts. A good “war guarantee” might come in handy. It’s worked before, has it not ?
So … what happened to Nixon’s “one China” policy? How did the Democrats get to the right of him on it? Did the Chinese become too capitalist? Wasn’t that what we wanted them to do? Wouldn’t that make them better? Do we want them out of Asia? Should we rename the China Sea?
Should we take a vote on the renaming?….
I believe it was Einstein who said: “World War Three would be our last”…
The commonly attributed quote, likely approximate- “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
While US talks of war, China brings peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia, effectively ending Saudi-Yemen war. The largest party in Taiwan Kuomintang, is all for normalization with China under one country, two system rule, but not the current President. Taiwan is economically dependent on China. Many of their high tech manufacturing companies, manufacture their product or components of them in China. Why doesn’t US use its influence with Taiwan, and strike a deal between China and Taiwan, similar to relationship between Puerto Rico and US, instead of constant talk of war. Taiwan is not Ukraine, with a population of 20 million, Taiwan doesn’t have any hope of survival against China, if it comes to war, and where it is located.
If it came to a Chinese Civil War, good luck with whatever ships or aircraft that would ATTEMPT to get massive US forces in Taiwan.
If it came down to a Chinese Civil War, Beijing would be too busy to worry about what was going on in another country off its coast.
The Chinese Civil War involves the Mainland and theier province, Taiwan./
Taiwan is not and never has been a province of the People’s Republic of China.
“The island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China, which had overthrown the Qing in 1911, took control of Taiwan following the surrender of Japan in 1945. Japan would renounce sovereignty over Taiwan in 1952.” It has been under a China government before. And the so called Republic of China was considered by Chiang to be the “true government” of the country of China, after Japan gave up sovereignity over the island. China remembers how Taiwan was basically used as a giant aircraft carrier by Japan to attack them during WWII. Pretty sure they don’t want to risk that scenario again, especially with a war-and-devastation happy USA around.
The US took control over Taiwan in 1945, and allowed Chiang and friends to set up shop there after they lost the actual civil war in the actual China.
When Idi Amin went into exile in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia didn’t magically become part of Uganda or vice versa.
But the Philippines became a US territory (part of the US) in 1898 along with Puerto Rico and American Samoa, and Saipan in 1947. Chiang didn’t go into exile, he fled into a portion of China (Taiwan).
Right — except for the part where Taiwan has ever been “a portion of China.”
Words, words, words ……
ever been or forever been?
Sure and that’s why they call themselves the Republic of China, not the Republic of Taiwan.
Words have meaning only if they apply to reality and if everyone agrees on that meaning. Otherwise, not.
OK – then it was China according to the world by occupying the China seat at the UN from 1949 to 1971 and claiming all of China as their nation. That made Taiwan part of China.
What? Politicians coming up with self-serving lies to justify doing whatever they want? Say it ain’t so!
Some arguments presented here suffer the same shortcomings.
No – the whole world including those wonderful democracies. Were we ever really controlled by Democrats?
N.B., her total disregard for the Constitutional provision vesting sole right to declare war in the Congress, … as well as the Committee’s failure to call her on it.
If I were President the first thing I would do is cancel all war guarantees to other nations.
It seems we’re provoking China to invade Taiwan right now and it doesn’t seem China has a choice in the matter. But wait until China invades Taiwan to scream in Unison: “UNPROVOKED AND UNJUSTIFIED WAR OF AGGRESSION!” Are you ready? (Sarcasm alert)
How can the US “defend” Taiwan, even in the unlikely event of Taiwan declaring independence? Navies today are very vulnerable to missile attack. And there is no other way for the US to defend Taiwan, other than nukes.
Going to war used to be the authority of Congress. That is obviously no longer true.
I hear the Dept of “Defense” is filled with Oxy-Morons.
Thankfully, China knows that DNI Haines won’t be in office for long.
This bravado will last only until Taiwan under gun, builds microchip factories in US. Because once we can have our engineers trained in the processes, we do not need Taiwan. After that Taiwan loses US as a customer. Some investors will make money, but Taiwan will lose employment for engineers as demand goes down.
Does the DNI know that coast to Coast Taiwan is about 100 miles away? Compare to Taiwan to mainland US? More importantly, does DNI know that China does not fear the carrier group and can match anything U.S. has 10 to 1?
Yep and the US will have it`s ass kicked just like in Vietnam / Afghanistan ect ect .