- Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region
- Parkrun marks 20 years of a free weekly jog, run... or walk
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong soars again
- Prostitutes, prospectors drive spread in DR Congo mpox capital
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong resumes surge
- Extreme heat another form of death sentence in Texas jails
- Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus
- Nike earnings drop, says turnaround will take time
- US dockworkers launch mass strike a month before election
- Iron Dome: Israel's key anti-missile shield
- Cranes stand still as US dockworkers fight for 'future'
- GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew
- Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico's first woman president
- Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon
- Stock markets slump, oil jumps on Middle East concerns
- French PM vows more taxes and spending cuts ahead of budget fight
- Germany inaugurates IBM's first European quantum data centre
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone inflation drops further
- France's richest man takes control of Paris Match magazine
- Anger meets tear gas as Nigeria hardship protests fizzle out
- US dockworkers launch mass strike month before election
- Evacuations from Lebanon: what we know
- Feathers fly at Chanel's Paris fashion return
- UAE oil giant ADNOC swoops on German chemicals firm Covestro
- Eurozone inflation falls under 2% for first time since 2021
- Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India
- Droughts drive Spanish boom in pistachio farming
- Tokyo recovers some losses to lead Asian markets higher
- Rural schools empty in North Macedonia due to exodus
- US dockworkers launch strike after labor contract expires
- Thousands evacuated as Super Typhoon Krathon approaches Taiwan
- Kenya airport whistleblower fears for his life
- Sheinbaum to take office as Mexico's first woman president
- Scientists fear underfunded Argentina research on verge of collapse
- US port officials gird for strike despite last-minute bargaining
- With 118 dead from Hurricane Helene, Biden defends US government response
- Breeder who tried to create enormous trophy sheep jailed in US
- Qatar Airways seeking 25% stake in Virgin Australia
- US port officials gird for strike as labor talks stay stuck
- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
Biden vows military defence of Taiwan if China invades
President Joe Biden vowed Monday that US forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the self-ruled island by force, warning Beijing was already "flirting with danger".
The remarks, made in Tokyo where he is meeting with Japan's prime minister ahead of a summit Tuesday, were Biden's strongest to date on the issue and come with rising tensions in the region over China's growing economic and military power.
Washington and allies like Japan have framed their tough response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a warning to others, particularly China, about the consequences of unilateral military action.
Biden hammered that message home after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in which the pair agreed to monitor Chinese naval activity and joint Chinese-Russia exercises.
Asked if Washington was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, Biden replied simply: "Yes."
"That's the commitment we made," he added.
"We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it... but the idea that it can be taken by force is just not appropriate, it would dislocate the entire region and would be another action similar to Ukraine," Biden said.
He warned Beijing was already "flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the manoeuvres undertaken", in reference to a growing number of Chinese sorties, naval exercises and construction in the region, viewed as a projection of its growing power.
The US leader, who has led an international effort to impose punishing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, said President Vladimir Putin had to pay a "long-term price", otherwise it would send the wrong message.
"What signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting to take Taiwan by force?" he said.
Like most nations, the United States diplomatically recognises Beijing but also maintains de facto diplomatic ties with Taipei.
For decades it has maintained a policy of "strategic ambiguity" in which it never makes clear what it would do in the event of an invasion.
The policy was designed both to keep Beijing from declaring war and also to stop Taiwan formally declaring independence.
- 'Policy has not changed' -
A White House official said after Biden's remarks that they did not constitute a divergence from Washington's "One China" policy and its commitment to "provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself".
"Our policy has not changed," the official said.
China's Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if needed.
Beijing's growing sabre-rattling on the issue has prompted increasing diplomatic support for Taipei, including from Japan, which has regularly warned China against "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force".
Kishida called for stability in the Taiwan Strait and said Tokyo was committed to boosting its defence spending, a sensitive subject in a country with constitutional limits on its military.
"Japan will fundamentally strengthen its defence capacity, and to back that up will significantly increase its defence spending," Kishida said at a joint press conference with Biden.
"We don't rule out any options, including (acquiring) the capacity to counter-attack," he added.
Biden is in Japan on the second leg of an Asia trip intended to reinforce regional ties and show Washington remains committed to the region despite its involvement with the crisis in Ukraine.
He announced Monday that 13 countries have joined a new, US-led Asia-Pacific trade initiative touted as a counterweight to China's aggressive expansion in the region.
The initiative is expected to be formally rolled out later Monday, but faces some scepticism because there is no plan for members to negotiate tariffs and ease market access.
On Tuesday, Biden meets with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India, the so-called Quad grouping, also hoping to rally partners against China's growing economic and military clout.
Biden arrived in Tokyo on Sunday after stopping in Seoul for talks with newly elected President Yoon Suk-yeol.
While there, Biden said he was willing to meet Kim Jong Un if the leader-for-life is "sincere", despite the threat of a possible North Korean nuclear test hanging over the Asian tour.
Ch.Lefebvre--CPN