China removes promise not to send troops to Taiwan

STORY: China's latest official documents say it's not ruling out force - when it comes to reunifying with Taiwan.

In a white paper released through state media on Wednesday, Beijing withdrew a promise not to send troops or administrators to Taiwan if it takes control.

It comes as China’s military appeared to wrap up days of war games around the self-ruled island China claims as its own.

Furious at a visit to Taipei last week by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...

“And we want Taiwan to always have freedom with security, and we're not backing away from that.”

China extended its largest-ever exercises around Taiwan beyond the four days originally scheduled.

Those exercises prompted Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday to release a video showing its own defensive capabilities.

The updated white paper could be a sign that China would grant less autonomy than previously offered.

Its ruling Communist Party had previously proposed Taiwan could return to rule under a “one country, two systems” model, similar to how Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Though proposal has been widely rejected in Taiwan - both, by political parties and the public.

U.S. President Joe Biden this week expressed concern over China's recent activity - to an extent.

“I don’t think they’re going to going to do anything more than they are.”

A Pentagon official said earlier this week that it did not think China would try to invade Taiwan for the next two years.