President Joe Biden said Monday that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, in one of the most forceful and overt statements in support of Taiwan in decades.

Biden said the burden to protect the self-ruled island was even stronger after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Biden said, That's the commitment we made. He said an effort by China to use force against Taiwan would just not be appropriate," saying it will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine.

Under the One China policy, the U.S. recognises Beijing as the government of China and doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, it maintains unofficial contacts with Taiwan, including a de facto embassy in Taipei, the capital. The U.S. also supplies military equipment for the island's defence.

AP