Blinken doubles down on China warning over Taiwan: 'Terrible consequences' if Beijing strikes

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken fired a warning shot at China, saying any move to invade Taiwan would bring "terrible consequences." 

He reiterated the U.S. commitment to defend Taiwan’s right to self-govern, which China has threatened with claims that the island is part of its territory. 

"We’ve been very clear and consistently clear, over many years that we are committed to making sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself and … we will continue to make good on that commitment," Blinken said on the subject of committing military forces in the event China does invade Taiwan.