Blinken says US and allies would ‘take action’ if Taiwan were attacked
- Secretary of State does not specify what form a response would take if Beijing used force to alter status quo
- His remarks follow last month’s comments by US President Joe Biden which appeared to depart from long-standing ‘strategic ambiguity’ policy
Blinken did not say what sort of action he was referring to, as he responded to a question on the issue during a forum hosted by The New York Times on Wednesday.
When asked if the US would step in to defend the self-ruled island in the event of an attack by the mainland, Blinken repeated the regular statements that Washington’s role was to make sure the island had the means to defend itself, as required under US law.
“At the same time, I think it’s fair to say that we’re not alone in this determination to make sure that we preserve peace and stability in that part of the world,” he said.
“There are many countries, both in the region and beyond, that would see any unilateral action to use force to disrupt the status quo as a significant threat to peace and security, and they too would take action in the event that happens.”