President Joe Biden said the US would defend Taiwan if China attached, in an apparent departure from a long-held US foreign policy position.
But a White House spokesman later told some US media outlets that his remarks did not signify a change in policy.
The US has a law which requires it to help Taiwan defend itself.
But it pursues a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” where it is deliberately vague about what it would actually do if China were to attack Taiwan.
China has yet to respond to Biden’s comments.
At an CNN town hall event, a participant referred to recent reports that China had tested a hypersonic missile. He asked Biden if he could “vow to protect Taiwan”, and what he would do to keep up with China’s military development.
“Yes and yes.” He added there was no need to “worry about whether they’re going to be more powerful”, because “China, Russia and the rest of the world knows we’re the most powerful military in the history of the world,” responded Biden.
He was then queried a second time by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper if the US would come to Taiwan’s defence in the event of an attack by China. He replied: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that.”
