Standing alongside the Japanese prime minister at a news conference in Tokyo on 23 May, Joe Biden was asked whether the United States would fight to defend Taiwan if it was attacked by China in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This should not have come as a surprise. It was the most predictable question the US president could possibly have been asked during a trip that has focused on countering China’s power in the region. He had surely been briefed on the nuances of the language involved, which made his answer even more surprising.
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