NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gather for a NATO photo at the NATO defense ministerial in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 21, 2021. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)
Newsweek: Pentagon Corrects Defense Secretary on China, Taiwan After White House Fixes Biden Remarks
The Pentagon has edited an incorrect reference by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the number of understandings the United States has reached with China and Taiwan just hours after the White House scrambled to clarify comments made by President Joe Biden, who appeared to commit to the defense of Taipei if Beijing were to attack.
The first apparent gaffe came as Biden answered questions Thursday evening during a town hall hosted by CNN. Discussing China, one university student asked the president, "What will you do to keep up with them militarily, and can you vow to protect Taiwan?," to which Biden replied, "Yes and yes."
An open pledge to defend Taiwan would mark a reversal of decades of strategic ambiguity through which the U.S. has neither confirmed nor denied its willingness to come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.
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WNU Editor: The embarrassments and confusion piles up.
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