China’s response to Biden’s threat: US ‘plays with fire’ over Taiwan

The United States is “using the ‘Taiwan card’ to contain China, and it will burn”, said the Chinese Government

The United States is “playing with fire”, the Chinese government warned on Monday, after President Joe Biden promised to defend Taiwan if China tries to take it by force, the state agency Xinhua reported.

The United States is “using the ‘Taiwan card’ to contain China, and it will burn,” said Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, often described as China’s cabinet.

Biden’s remarks on Monday were his most forceful to date on the Taiwan issue, and they came against a backdrop of rising tensions over the growth of China’s economic and military might.

The state-run Xinhua news agency said Zhu “urged the United States to stop making statements or actions” that violate established principles between the two countries.

This Monday, when asked if Washington was willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan, Biden replied: “Yes.”

“It’s the commitment we made,” he said.

The US president made the remarks in Tokyo, where he met with the Japanese prime minister ahead of a regional summit on Tuesday.

The United States and its allies, such as Japan, strongly contested the Russian invasion of Ukraine and warned other countries, such as China, that they should not take any unilateral military action.

The Taiwan Affairs Office reports to the State Council, often described as the country’s Council of Ministers.