AT a recent town hall gathering on CNN, US President Joe Biden was asked if the US would come to the defense of Taiwan if it was attacked by China. He answered, 'Yes, we have a commitment to do that.' The question apparently came up because of some recent events. On the one hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping demonstrated his determination to get Taiwan reunified with the mainland 'by force if necessary' by sending an unprecedented number of fighter jets to fly threateningly about Taiwan's air identification zone during Taipei's last national day celebration. On the other hand, the tumultuous and humiliating US pullout from Afghanistan has raised doubts about the superpower's continued interest in engaging in foreign wars.

Biden's answer to the question was immediately called a gaffe by some critics. The White House clarified that the US policy on the Taiwan question had not changed. The commitment Biden referred to is the one contained in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which strictly speaking was not to send US forces to intervene militarily if China chooses to annex Taiwan by force, but to supply Taiwan with the arms and equipment necessary to enable it to defend itself.