Biden: US would defend Taiwan from attack by China

Biden with host Anderson Cooper during the CNN town hall in Baltimore, Maryland, US on Oct 21. - Reuters

BALTIMORE (Bloomberg): President Joe Biden said the US was committed to defending Taiwan from a Chinese attack, in some of his strongest comments yet as the administration faces calls to clarify its stance on the democratically ruled island.

Biden answered "yes” when asked during a CNN town hall Thursday (Oct 21) whether he could pledge to protect Taiwan. "I don’t want a Cold War with China -- I just want to make China understand that we are not going to step back, we are not going to change any of our views,” Biden told host Anderson Cooper in Baltimore.