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Transcript/ScriptUS-CHINA-TAIWAN
HEADLINE: US Secretary of State to Clarify US Policy Toward China
TEASER: Amid Chinese outrage over President Joe Biden’s recent Taiwan remarks, Antony Blinken is set to outline the US stance
PUBLISHED AT: 5/26/22 at 8:22p
BYLINE: Cindy Saine
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE:
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SCRIPT EDITORS: AP, Reifenrath, DJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Saine Skype Video interview, AP, Reuters, AFP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:19
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
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((INTRO))
[U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to deliver a major speech Thursday outlining U.S. policy toward China. The speech comes just days after President Joe Biden said the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if necessary — a remark that got worldwide attention and angered leaders in Beijing. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.]
((NARRATOR))
During a Quad meeting in Tokyo this week, leaders of Japan, India, Australia and the United States warned against China’s attempts to "change the status quo by force" amid concerns it could invade self-ruled Taiwan.
U.S. President Joe Biden took it a step further, saying the U.S. would be willing to intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if China attacked the democratic island.
He and administration officials later clarified the remarks, saying there was no change in the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity, in which the United States deliberately avoids laying out how it would respond to such Chinese aggression.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price:
((Ned Price, State Department Spokesperson))
“As you heard from the president today, as you heard from the presidents the other day in Tokyo, when President Biden said, and I quote, “Our policy towards Taiwan has not changed at all. We remain committed to supporting the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits (Strait) and ensuring there is no unilateral change to the status quo.”
((NARRATOR))
In the wake of the U.S. president’s remarks, Asian leaders, including those in Beijing, will likely be listening closely to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s China policy speech on Thursday.
((NARRATOR))
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Biden of hollowing out Beijing’s "One China" principle, which asserts China’s sovereignty over Taiwan, and supporting Taiwan separatist activities.
Brian Harding of the U.S. Institute of Peace rejects this notion, noting world leaders are rightfully concerned about the importance of defending countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
[[Radio Intro: Brian Harding is with the United States Institute of Peace. He spoke to VOA via Skype.]]
((Brian Harding, US Institute of Peace)) ((Skype))
“If there were to be outright aggression against Taiwan like we're seeing right now in Ukraine, I think President Biden is absolutely right that there would be U.S. military action against that threat. I think it's also notable that President Biden made these comments in Japan. Japan has made a notable shift in publicly declaring that its security is closely linked to what happens in Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait.”
((NARRATOR))
Harding says he does not expect many surprises or big policy shifts in Secretary Blinken’s speech. More likely, it will reflect a desire to return the focus of U.S. foreign policy to Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.
(Brian Harding, U.S. Institute of Peace)) ((Skype))
“The history of the 21st century is being written in Asia — not just by China, but also other rising powers — and how the United States and its allies and partners, and the international system, adapt to a rising China and also an increasingly authoritarian China domestically and not the China that we expected.”
((NARRATOR))
For its part, Taiwan’s military announced at an online press conference last month that it has published a handbook for civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including learning where safety shelters are beforehand.
Cindy Saine, VOA News
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMay 25, 2022 21:27 EDT
BylineCindy Saine, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
