Facts

• Pres. Biden said on Mon. that the US will respond militarily if Beijing were to try and take the self-governing island of Taiwan by force.
• This statement stands in contrast to previous US presidents, who have historically adopted only vague warnings to China against attacking Taiwan, a policy dubbed "strategic ambiguity."
• US officials deny the comments represent a change in the US' approach toward Taiwan, arguing they echo the nation's traditional policy, and its committments to both the One China policy and the Taiwan Relations Act.
• According to the Taiwan Relations Act, the US must ensure Taiwan the military means to self-defense, but the pact does not go so far as explicitly pledging US troops.
• This isn't the first time Biden has stressed the US would come to the defense of Taiwan in case of a Chinese attack, but Xi Jinping hasn't rejected using force to reunify mainland China and Taiwan.
• Tensions between China and the US in relation to Taiwan have surged recently. Beijing has carried out several military drills in the Taiwan Strait, and the US has been accused of supporting Taiwan's "secessionist forces."