Bipartisan criticism targets Biden for his lack of ‘moral clarity’ on Taiwan

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – A top Republican on the House Taiwan Caucus is blasting President Biden for what he calls a lack of "moral clarity" on the U.S. relationship with Taiwan.

Caucus co-Chair Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., spoke with Fox News Digital in Taipei as part of the first U.S. Congressional delegation to meet with Taiwan’s newly-inaugurated government.

"This is the problem with the Biden administration, they're not— it's not ambiguity," Barr said. "It's the fact that they contradict themselves."

"It's the fact that Biden makes a statement to try to clarify the U.S. position and then the state department walks it back. And so the fact that there's not a moral clarity, and a consistency, in communicating about the threat from China, undermines the credibility and the deterrence provided by this administration," he said.

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There have been several high-profile instances since Biden took office in which his forceful statements in Taiwan’s defense have had to be walked back by officials within his own administration, according to published reports.

He told CNN in October 2021 that the U.S. had a "commitment" to come to Taiwan’s defense if China attacked the island.

It prompted an aggressive response from the Chinese Communist Party, which accused Biden of violating the longstanding "One China" policy, which does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation with its own formal diplomatic ties.

Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki later said, "The president was not announcing any change in our policy, nor has he made a decision to change our policy."

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Similar incidents occurred in August