The U.S. plans to increase the number of American troops training Taiwanese forces on the self-ruled island in the coming months, according to U.S. officials. It’s unclear how many additional U.S. troops will participate in the expanded training effort.
On Tuesday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen told a visiting US congressional delegation that the two militaries would cooperate “even more closely” and planned to “enhance military exchanges”.
Even a modest increase in the number of troops in Taiwan could raise tensions with China, which in recent months has watched the U.S. strengthen its position around the island and build up forces in nearby Okinawa and Guam. In response, China accused the US of undermining peace and stability in the region.
Spawning extends beyond the Indo-Pacific. This week, Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken said China could provide lethal support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. China’s Foreign Ministry fired back that the US and NATO were smearing China.
However, Taiwan is probably the most sensitive flashpoint in the delicate relationship between Beijing and Washington. In an exclusive interview with CNN in 2021, Taiwan’s president admitted that there were US military personnel on the island at the time, but said there were “not as many as people thought”, adding that Taipei had “a wide range of cooperation with The US is trying to increase our defense capability.”
The U.S. has had between 20 and 40 troops in Taiwan in recent years, according to Defense Department figures. Most are Marines tasked with embassy and diplomatic security at the de facto US embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan. The US does not have an official embassy in Taiwan because it does not recognize the island as an independent state.
Last summer, Taiwanese troops participated in the Northern Strike exercise led by the Michigan National Guard. The annual two-week exercise took place at Camp Grayling in August, just days after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the democratically-administered territory, prompting an angry response from China, including a military show of force around the island.
It is not clear how many Taiwanese troops participated in the multinational exercise, but Taiwan could participate again this summer. The exercise, which also has a smaller winter phase, has approximately 7,000 participants annually. Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. General Pat Ryder declined to comment on plans to expand training for Taiwanese forces. “We have no comment on specific operations, clashes or training, but I would like to emphasize that our support and defense relationship with Taiwan remains consistent with the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,”.
Read Now:IMF introduces nine-point action plan for crypto assets, warns against legal tender status
