During his discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden addressed the topic of Taiwan, promising to safeguard the island from any invasion.
When asked if Washington would intervene militarily to prevent Beijing from seizing control of Taiwan, he answered, "That's the commitment we made," according to Sputnik.
"We signed on to the One China policy... but the concept that it may be taken by force is simply not right," he continued.
This isn't the first time Biden has stated that the US will support Taiwan if it is attacked: he did so last year, and the White House has stated that the US will not modify its position on the subject.
Tensions between China and the United States have been rising in recent months, owing to increased American weapon deliveries to Taipei.
At the same time, China has expressed displeasure with a variety of US policies on Taiwan, including the removal of the phrase "the United States does not support Taiwan independence" from the US Department of State's website.
According to FARS News Agency, Beijing has asked the US to "stop indulging in political manipulation" and to remember that "there is only one China in the world."
Since the end of the civil war in 1949, Taiwan, which calls itself the "Republic of China," has been administered separately from the rest of the country. While the United States does not recognise Taiwan as an independent country, Beijing considers the island to be part of the People's Republic of China, and Washington maintains close ties with Taipei, providing weaponry and promising to safeguard the island.
However, US media reported last month that American defence contractors had a $14.2 billion backlog of military equipment that Taiwan had purchased in 2019. According to sources, due to "COVID-related acquisition challenges," less than 20% of the armament requested has been delivered to Taipei.
In response to the backlog, US Navy Chief Admiral Michael Gilday encouraged Taiwan to strengthen its defences, noting the possibility of Chinese "aggression" in light of the Ukraine crisis. It elicited a vehement response in Beijing, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasising that Taiwan was none of America's concern.