US to defend Taiwan in case of an attack

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The tensions between China and Taiwan seem to be growing. Let us clear the basics. China sees them as its own. China believes that the country should be under its control. But Taiwan depicts the opposite.

Taiwan is a democratic country. It has its constitution and a system to elect leaders. It also houses an army of a strong 300,000. But only a few give Taiwan its due. Many believe that the power is in the Chinese government in Beijing.

The US has no connection with Taiwan. But it should protect it if a Chinese attack occurs. Joe Biden, President of the US, confirmed this. He clearly said that the US troops would defend Taiwan. This also shows the commitment of the US.

There is an official US policy. It doesn’t commit itself to any action against the country. The White House reportedly clarified this issue. It also said that the policy had not changed. Beijing said that it opposes the idea of Mr. Biden.

Washington is very diplomatic in the case of China and Taiwan. It has a One China policy. Under this policy, the US says that there is only one Chinese government. It also means that formal ties are in place with Beijing only. This is a crucial point in the relations between the US and China.

But because it is diplomatic, the US also follows the Relations Act. This means that it has relations with Taiwan as well. Through the act, it gets arms from the US. However, the reasoning behind this is that the island should have something to defend itself.

The tensions between China and the US are growing severe. But Taiwan and the US are getting close. Washington is under severe pressure because of its position on this issue. It seems that US first needs to get clear on what its stand is. Then, it should go and help others.

Credits: BBC

Ishita Paul