Whilst visiting Japan, Biden was asked by a reporter if the US would defend Taiwan militarily if China invaded, when it has not done so in the invasion of Ukraine

Biden: Yes... that's the commitment we made.

That's a good move. There's nothing to be gained from the old policy of deliberate ambiguity - unless your plan is to do nothing - in which case 'bluff' is all you have.

The best cure for war in Taiwan is prevention. There's a lot at stake for China if an invasion of Taiwan fails, so let them know in advance that if you do A, then B is gonna happen.

They're playing the 'he's old' card, which is indeed smart. He's old, could be getting dementia, so he can say what he wants then they walk it back a step or two within 24 hours. This time, I think the clarification was something along the lines of "Our position on Taiwan has not changed."

Biden & Co. know exactly what they're doing with these mixed messages.