President Joe Biden has faced scrutiny in his first year in office for his foreign policy. He was much maligned for pulling American troops out of Afghanistan, which consequently allowed the Taliban to seize power in the region.

More recently, Biden caused controversy during a town hall by committing to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion from China.

Although outrage from China is unsurprising, domestic concerns over Biden’s statements are more worrying.

Following Biden’s statement of commitment, the White House clarified his words by reassuring that the president has not changed America’s policy on Taiwan. The White House is correct in stating Biden has not changed policy, but they are wrong in releasing this cowardly reassurance.

Biden said the quiet part out loud when committing to defend Taiwan, considering America and Taiwan have worked as unofficial allies since 1979.

Diplomatically, China and Taiwan have separate embassies in Washington, D.C. Moreover, Taiwan has 10 consulates throughout America whereas China only has five.

Taiwan allows dual citizenship with America (I myself am a Taiwanese-American dual citizen from birth), whereas China does not.

So while it is true that America does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent country, their close diplomatic relations have set the precedent that America and Taiwan are effectively allies.

Through the many decades of asserting that Taiwan is part of China, the Chinese Communist Party appears unconvinced of this notion. A couple of weeks before President Biden’s town hall, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to peacefully reunify China and Taiwan.

Looking past Xi’s understanding of peace as drastically raising tensions, his rhetorical choice to use “reunification” illustrates that even the CCP realizes the unofficial independence of Taiwan, a realization that more Americans could benefit from.

Defense, Not Intervention

A poll conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2021 found that 52% of Americans support using American troops in the event China invades Taiwan. This figure is only slightly divided among party lines with 60% of Republicans, 50% of Democrats, and 49% of independents in favor of sending troops.

Although the poll revealed bipartisan support for bolstering Taiwan’s defense, the 10% difference between Democrats and Republicans illustrates a false equivalence, made by many on the left, between the American defense of Taiwan and the American intervention of the Middle East.

Some opponents of defending Taiwan claim that tensions between Taiwan and China are a domestic issue and thus America’s continued use of troops and sale of arms to Taiwan is an act of foreign intervention.

Regardless of what one may think of American intervention in the Middle East, and Biden’s recent pull-out of Afghanistan, conflating that form of intervention with America’s defense of an ally is both ignorant and dishonest.

Taiwan is responsible for 63% of the world’s semiconductor supply.

Taiwan acts autonomously with an established constitution and an independent code of laws separate from China. Even considering the lack of formal independence recognition Taiwan receives on a global scale, it is understood that China possesses no effective control over Taiwan. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would therefore be considered an international crisis.

The role of America’s military should be to defend their national security and to defend the national security of their allies. China’s military is the third most powerful in the world whereas Taiwan is ranked significantly lower. Without American defense, China could invade Taiwan and swiftly reunify the two entities.

To avoid a devastating fate, America must be prepared to act in the same way it would if their other allies, such as Japan or South Korea, faced the threat of invasion.

Taiwan’s Importance

America’s cries of defending democracy when engaging in regime change wars are accurately criticized because America hypocritically supports 73% of the world’s dictatorships. However, defending Taiwan is truly an act of defending and upholding democracy against an authoritarian regime.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2020 Democracy Index ranked Taiwan as the world’s eleventh most successful democracy. America was ranked twenty-fifth while China ranked 151st, which granted China the “authoritarian” label in the index.

Taiwan also possesses a sprawling economy bolstered by effective welfare programs. Citizens of Taiwan enjoy universal health care and a world-leading education among other things. Taiwan is also responsible for 63% of the world’s semiconductor supply, a crucial component in most electronics.

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be economically devastating and morally repugnant; however, China’s intentions are clear. While Japan and other countries have stated their support for Taiwan, America is best equipped to prevent an invasion.

President Biden has so far maintained support for Taiwan despite ongoing threats from China. President Biden must now stand strong against domestic criticisms to uphold his commitment and defend Taiwan, a crucial American ally.