US will defend Taiwan if China attacks: Biden

The United States would defend Taiwan if the island were attacked by China, President Joe Biden said Thursday, a declaration welcomed by the democratic island that risks fury from Beijing. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed.

At a CNN town hall, Biden was asked whether the US would come to Taiwan's defence if China invaded. "Yes," he responded. "We have a commitment to that."

Biden's comments were welcomed on Friday by Taiwan, which has pushed to bolster international alliances to protect itself from Beijing.

"The US government has demonstrated, through actual actions, their rock-solid support for Taiwan," Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang said in a statement.

At Thursday's live town hall, Biden was also asked by an audience member whether the United States would be able to keep up with China's rapid military development.

"Don't worry about whether... they're going to be more powerful," Biden said. "China, Russia and the rest of the world knows we have the most powerful military in the history of the world."

But Biden expressed concern that rival countries may "engage in activities where they may make a serious mistake."

He referred to his longtime relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and repeated his position that he does not want "to start a new Cold War with China."

But he warned: "I just want to make China understand that we are not going to step back."