September 20, 2022: -U.S. President Joe Biden said that U.S forces would support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion; his explicit statement on the issue drew an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those who seek an independent Taiwan.

On Sunday, asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview whether U.S. forces would defend the democratically governed island is saying by China, he replied, “Yes, if there was an unprecedented attack.”

Asked to explain if he meant that, unlike in Ukraine, U.S. forces – American men and women would defend Taiwan during a Chinese invasion, Biden replied, “Yes.”

The CBS interview was just the recent time Biden appeared to go beyond long-standing stated U.S. policy on Taiwan. Still, his statement about committing U.S. troops to defend the island was more precise than before.

The U.S has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity” and not being clear whether it will be responded militarily to an attack on Taiwan.

“The president had said this before, which included in Tokyo earlier this year. He made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed. That remains true,” the spokesperson added.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a normal briefing in Beijing that Biden’s comments sent a “seriously wrong signal” to separatists is forcing Taiwan independence.

China was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed” to Biden’s comments and had lodged a formal complaint regarding it, she said, warning that China is reserving the right to take all necessary measures to counter separatism.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed gratitude to Biden for reaffirming the “U.S. government’s rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan.”

Taiwan will keep supporting its self-defense capabilities and deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States, the Taiwan ministry said in a statement.

The CBS interview with Biden was conducted the previous week. The president is in Britain for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Monday.