President
Joe Biden on Monday said sanctions placed on Russian President
Vladimir Putin for his invasion in Ukraine must continue, adding that the sanctions also serve as a warning to China about what would happen should it try to take Taiwan by force. Biden made the comments during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. When taking a question from a reporter, the president also said the U.S. will continue honoring the One China Policy, which recognizes China's view that Taiwan is part of China, but
he stated the U.S. would respond militarily if China attacked the island nation.
Russia experienced slower than expected economic growth in the first quarter of 2022, which experts attributed to the
unprecedented sanctions imposed on the country following the start of the Ukraine war in late February. In April, the U.K.'s government predicted Russia would soon be plunged into its deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
During Monday's conference, Biden said Putin "must pay a dear price for his barbarism in Ukraine," otherwise China may not perceive the severe consequences it would face if tries to use its military to take Taiwan.
