WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Monday that President Joe Biden’s remarks about defending Taiwan “speak for themselves,” and that U.S. policy had not changed.
Biden said during a CBS “60 Minutes” interview broadcast on Sunday that U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, remarks China said sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan.
“I do not believe that it is appropriate to call the remarks that came from the White House today as walking back the president’s remarks,” Campbell told a forum in Washington.
“The president’s remarks speak for themselves. I do think our policy has been consistent and is unchanged and will continue,” he said.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; editing by Jonathan Oatis)