- The White House clarifies that US policy regarding Taiwan has not changed.

- Joe Biden: "The pandemic is over."

US President Joe Biden.

Biden Says US Troops Will Defend Taiwan If China Attacks It

US President Joe Biden assured this Sunday that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement yet on the subject, something that will surely infuriate Beijing.

Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday if US forces would defend the self-governing island claimed by China, he replied: "Yes, if indeed there was an unprecedented attack."

⚡️ In a wide-ranging conversation with Scott Pelley, President Joe Biden answers questions on Taiwan, inflation, the classified documents found in former President Donald Trump's home and more. https://t.co/wnXRAjlBcN

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 19, 2022

Asked to clarify whether he meant that, unlike Ukraine, US forces -- American men and women -- would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Biden replied, "Yes."

A White House spokesman later pointed out that US policy toward Taiwan had not changed when asked about the president's CBS comment.

On the other hand, Biden has assured in the same interview that the coronavirus pandemic "is over", although he has recognized that even today the United States "still has a problem" with COVID-19.

"The pandemic is over. If you look, no one is wearing masks. Everyone seems to be in very good shape. And this is why I think the situation has changed," the president said during an interview with CBS.

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