There was unfounded speculation that Joe Biden would neglect Taiwan’s defense needs, but the first week of his relationship with Taipei has shown good signs.
Beijing’s attempts to test the United States’ relationship with Taiwan in the days after President Joe Biden’s inauguration appear only to have strengthened an unofficial alliance that has blossomed since Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016.
China sent dozens of warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on January 23 and 24. The incursions, which increased in frequency after two high-level U.S. official visits to Taiwan, continued through the end of the month.
The ADIZ incursions are not the same as flights into Taiwan’s airspace – a country’s ADIZ can encompass areas that are not part of its territory – but the flights are intentionally provocative maneuvers, which usually lead Taiwan to scramble fighter jets in response.
The latest incursions spiked beginning on the day of Biden’s inauguration. The president took the step of inviting Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s representative to the United States, to the inauguration – the first time such an official invitation has been extended since the U.S. and Taiwan severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
On January 23, State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a statement condemning Beijing’s “attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.”
“The United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan,” the statement said.
The State Department’s language on Taiwan has thus far mirrored that of the 2020 Democratic foreign policy platform, which committed to resolving cross-strait affairs in the interest of the people of Taiwan – but, for the first time in decades, did not mention the concept of “one China” favored by Beijing, in effect leaving the door open for Taiwan’s autonomy or eventual independence.
As Biden signaled he would continue Washington’s steadfast defense of Taiwan, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian sharpened Beijing’s language toward the island, calling the incursions “a solemn response to external interference and provocations by ‘Taiwan independence’ forces.”
https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/us-brushes-off-chinese-threat-that-taiwan-independence-means-war/