It would be a bit unusual for the US to declare Taiwan independent before Taiwan does so itself. The governments on both sides of the Strait continue to, on paper, adhere to the legal fiction where both claim to be China and claim the entirety of the territory.
The CCP has stated explicitly that if Taiwan declares separation from China, attempting to legalize their de facto independence, that they will invade. So yes, they're rather pinned into place.
Their hands are tied by this being better than out and out invasion, it's true, but that also means they want the US to play this game with them. US involvement probably pushes forward an invasion date, not backwards.
Sources that are not Chinese state media have rather different characterizations, and (unlike CGTN) can actually quote what Biden actually said (not two nonconsecutive words, without editorial indication that they were nonconsecutive, surrounded by misleading characterizations of the context) to support them. E.g., CNN: [0]
Biden says Taiwan's independence is up to Taiwan after discussing matter with Xi:
[...]
"I said that they have to decide -- Taiwan, not us. We are not encouraging independence," Biden said on an airport tarmac in New Hampshire, where he was promoting his recently signed infrastructure law.
"We're encouraging that they do exactly what the Taiwan Act requires," he went on, referring to the 1979 law dictating the American approach to the island. "That's what we're doing. Let them make up their mind. Period."
I love how you juxtapose "sketchy" and "official Chinese news site". We really should think of it that way, and we should have the courage to say so. Your site dispenses official state propaganda? It's sketchy.
