U.S. would take military action if China attacks Taiwan: Bernie Sanders

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) United States Senator Bernie Sanders, who is vying for the Democratic Party's nomination for president, said Sunday that if elected, he would be prepared to take military action if China attacked Taiwan.

Sanders made the comment on the American news show 60 Minutes, during a conversation about how he would deploy U.S. military power if he were to become president.

When asked by Anderson Cooper, a correspondent on the show, whether there are situations he believed would warrant military action by the U.S., Sanders said "absolutely," citing threats against the American people and U.S. allies as examples.

Cooper followed up by asking whether China taking military action against Taiwan would also be something that warranted a military response from the U.S.

Nodding, Sanders replied, "That's something, yeah. I mean, I think we have got to make it clear to countries around the world that we will not sit by and allow invasions to take place, absolutely."

Sanders, who lost the Democratic nomination for president to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016, is currently leading the race this year, having won two of three primaries/caucuses that have already taken place.