US Forces Tacitly Train Taiwanese Troops
US special forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months, risking the wrath of China, a Pentagon official said Thursday.
A contingent of about 20 special forces and conventional forces has been training for less than a year, the official, who declined to be named, told the foreign news agency.
The official widely confirmed an article in the Wall Street Journal that the training has been going on for at least a year amid increasing verbal threats from China against the island allied to the United States.
The Taiwan Defense Department declined to comment on the report, but Pentagon spokesman John Supple said that US support for the Taiwanese military is generally assessed based on its defense needs.
“Our advocacy and support relationship with Taiwan remains focused on the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Supple said in a statement.
“We call on Beijing to fulfill its commitment to peacefully resolve disputes between the two sides of the strait.”
Taiwan Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said, “a just cause always draws strong support” when asked on Friday to comment on the WSJ report.
“We strive to defend our national sovereignty and our people, as well as to maintain regional peace. We do our best and we appreciate like-minded countries working together,” he said.
Taiwanese media reported last November, citing the Taiwan Naval Command, that US troops had arrived there to train Taiwanese Marines and special forces in amphibious operations and in small boats.
However, this information was later denied by the US and Taiwanese officials, who emphasized that the two sides were only involved in bilateral military exchanges and cooperation.
The United States is supplying Taiwan with weapons, including anti-missiles and fighter jets, while Beijing is threatening to regain control of the island by force and reintegrate it into China.
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The United States also maintains an ambiguous commitment to defending Taiwan, which Beijing views as a separatist province.
A video posted and broadcast to Taiwanese media last year showed US forces participating in an exercise called Balance Tamper on the island.
The Chinese armed forces stepped up their activities in the direction of Taiwan over the past year, conducting mock maritime assaults and conducting large-scale fighter and bomber missions near Taiwanese airspace.
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