Recently, Joe Biden elucidated that the US would be involved militarily if The Republic of China’s (ROC, Taiwan) sovereignty were to be violated, making him the first president to speak out against the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC, what we commonly refer to as China) claims of ownership over the island.
Multiple countries have a One-China Policy: they don’t support the PRC’s claim to Taiwan. Still, they simultaneously can’t deny it due to the resulting severed trade relations with the PRC. This results in only 13 UN member nations maintaining official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Due to this power, the PRC is also the only representative of China in the UN after having the ROC thrown out in 1971. The PRC also continues to deny Taiwanese membership to the UN using their veto power as part of the UN security council.
This especially becomes a problem since being a part of the UN means that a country can officially be protected through international sanctions, like those imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Since Taiwan isn’t privy to the same member status as Ukraine, the global response to a potential invasion, which is often hinted at by Chinese leadership, could be potentially limited. This is further exacerbated by China’s importance to the world economy, which means sanctions could adversely affect the entire world. As a result, Taiwan is even more susceptible to invasion, making Biden’s statements even more significant. In this case, the USA’s influence makes it possible for these statements to be made, leading to more official representation for Taiwan. At the same time, China could also retaliate against other countries that recognise Taiwan, taking out their frustrations with the US.
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