WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has said the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China, BBC reported.

Asked in a CBS interview if US troops would defend the island Biden said, “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.”

Biden’s remarks prompted the White House to clarify that US policy had not changed.

Washington has long maintained a stance of “strategic ambiguity” – it does not commit to defending Taiwan, but also does not rule out the option, BBC reported.

Taiwan is a self-ruled island off the coast of eastern China that Beijing claims as part of its territory.

On the one hand it adheres to the One China policy, a cornerstone of its relationship with Beijing, according to BBC.

Under this policy, the US acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government, and has formal ties with Beijing rather than Taiwan, it said.

But it also maintains close relations with Taiwan and sells arms to it under the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that the US must provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Taiwan responded to Biden’s remarks by welcoming the “US government’s rock-solid security commitment to Taiwan”. Taipei said it would continue to deepen its “close security partnership” with Washington.

(Inputs from Agencies/BBC)