Biden: The United States will defend Taiwan if China attacks it

US President Joe Biden confirmed that the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if China launched an attack on this island, which it considers an integral part of its territory.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that the United States would rise to defend Taiwan and had an obligation to defend the island, which China considers its territory, in comments that appeared to depart from official policy.

"Yes, we have an obligation to do that," Biden said in an interview with CNN when asked if the United States would come to Taiwan's defense.

Taiwan complains of increasing military and political pressure from Beijing to accept Chinese sovereignty over it, while Washington is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but it has long pursued a policy of "strategic ambiguity" about whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan if China attacked it.

In August, a Biden administration official said US policy on Taiwan had not changed, after the president appeared to imply that the US would defend the island if it was attacked.

Biden said people should not worry about US military power because "China, Russia and the rest of the world understand that we are the most powerful military in the history of the world."

He added, "I don't want a cold war with China. I just want China to realize that we will not back down, and that we will not change any of our views."

Taiwan's defense minister said this month that military tension between Taiwan and China was at its worst in more than 40 years, adding that China would be capable of a full-scale invasion by 2025.

Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedom and democracy, while China says Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in its relations with the United States, and denounces what it describes as "collusion" between Washington and Taipei.

China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, told reporters earlier Thursday that Beijing was seeking "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan, and was responding to "separatist attempts" by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party there.