US President Joe Biden says would defend Taiwan from attack by China

US President Joe Biden said the US was committed to defending Taiwan from a Chinese attack, in some of his strongest comments yet as the administration faces calls to clarify its stance on the democratically ruled island.

Biden answered “yes” when asked during a CNN town hall Thursday whether he could pledge to protect Taiwan. 

“I don’t want a Cold War with China — I just want to make China understand that we are not going to step back, we are not going to change any of our views,” Biden told host Anderson Cooper in Baltimore. 

A White House spokesperson later said that Biden didn’t announce a change in US policy toward Taiwan. 

China said there is “no room” for compromise or concessions over the issue of Taiwan. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reasserted China's longstanding claim that the island is its territory at a daily briefing after Biden made his comment.