Taiwan Agreement Stands

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan, and they both agreed to abide by the "Taiwan agreement," as tensions have ratcheted up between Taipei and Beijing. "I've spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree ... we'll abide by the Taiwan Agreement," Biden said. The Taiwan Agreement is Washington's long-standing policy that makes clear that the U.S. decision to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing instead of Taiwan rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry had sought clarification from the United States about Biden's comments and were reassured that U.S. policy towards Taiwan had not changed, that the U.S. commitment to them was "rock solid" and that the U.S. would continue to help Taiwan maintain its defenses.