They say the third time’s a charm.
Although it’s unclear whether that was on U.S. President Joe Biden’s mind as he offered an unequivocal “yes” when asked if Washington would militarily defend democratic Taiwan in an invasion by China, it was his third such affirmation since August that appeared to break with the long-held policy of “strategic ambiguity” over how the United States might react.
All three utterances were later walked back by Biden administration officials.