Biden pledges US will defend Taiwan if China attacks

During a CNN town hall, President Biden is asked whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacks. "Yes, we have a commitment to do that," Biden says. The statement appears to break with decades of U.S. "strategic ambiguity" policy, which deliberately leaves unclear whether the U.S. would intervene militarily in a Taiwan conflict. The White House quickly clarifies that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. It is the first of several instances during Biden's presidency where he makes an apparent pledge to defend Taiwan, each followed by a White House walk-back, a pattern critics say undermines strategic ambiguity.