The United States plans to considerably raise the number of US military personnel deployed in Taiwan to help train local forces, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday (Feb 23).
The action is being taken as relations between Washington and Beijing is at an all-time high following a US warplane's suspected downing of a Chinese spy balloon earlier this month. The US military will instruct Taiwanese personnel on military maneuvers and US weaponry, according to the Newspaper.
According to the publication, which cited anonymous US sources, between 100 and 200 American troops will be deployed to the island in the upcoming months, a significant increase from the 30 or so who were stationed there a year ago.
China has increased its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure while Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has been in office. Beijing regards the democratic island as a portion of its territory that will one day be reclaimed.
Taiwan will increase military exchanges with the United States, Tsai stated earlier this week. "Going forward, Taiwan will cooperate even more actively with the United States and other democratic partners to confront such global challenges as authoritarian expansionism and climate change," she said.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, charged Taiwanese officials with "provocation" on the same day and warned that "any futile separatist conspiracy or scheme relying on foreign forces to undermine cross-strait relations will only backfire and never succeed".
America, the self-governing island's most significant international supporter, supports Taipei's ability to determine its own future while diplomatically recognizing Beijing's superiority over Taipei.
A battalion of roughly 500 soldiers will travel to the United States for training this year, according to a report published this week by Taiwan's official Central News Agency. Chu implied that certain soldiers might travel to the United States for greater tactical training than in the past, although she did not give specific numbers.
China does not exclude annexing Taiwan by force because it views the island as an outlaw province. Taiwan asserts that it is a sovereign nation and that it will protect its independence and democracy.
Washington is obligated by U.S. law to help Taiwan maintain its defenses, but Beijing sees Taiwan as a part of China and has threatened to annex the island, using force if necessary.
The United States is Taiwan's top supplier of weapons and has long provided some level of training in weaponry operations as well as in-depth recommendations on how to fortify Taiwan's military to fend off an invasion by the People's Liberation Army of China.
