2024-03-21 13:06:00
Amid growing tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s defense minister hinted that the U.S. military has been training Taiwanese troops on offshore islands and that the islands would be on the front lines if a conflict breaks out between Taiwan and mainland China.
Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng did not disclose details of the deployment of U.S. troops, but the outlying islands include Kinmen, which is three miles east of the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen and more than 100 miles from Taiwan’s main island.
On Thursday, Qiu Guozheng said in response to a question about the U.S. military stationed on the outlying islands of Taiwan: “Exchange means observing each other to see if we have any problems and how to improve them. We can learn from it.”
Qiu Guo made the above remarks in response to questions raised by a Sofrep report. The report said that U.S. Special Forces instructors will be sent to Kinmen and other outlying islands where Taiwan’s elite troops are stationed. Sofrep is a news website focusing on national security issues.
U.S. Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners said he would not comment on specific operations or training. “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and we will help maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” he said.
Qiu Guozheng said that Taiwan’s military “may have some blind spots or shortcomings” and needs to communicate and observe with friendly teams or countries.
Su Ziyun, a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the training of U.S. special forces focuses on strengthening Taiwan’s rear security, especially preventing enemy infiltration and destruction. The National Defense and Security Research Institute is a think tank based in Taiwan with a military background. He said cooperation between Washington and Taipei mainly focused on defense.
Analysts at the National Defense Security Research Institute said outlying islands including Kinmen are where most of Taiwan’s amphibious soldiers, known as frogmen, are stationed.
After two Chinese fishermen were chased by Taiwanese coast guard and their boat capsized and died, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have launched a series of fierce maritime confrontations in Kinmen in the past month.
A Chinese official called the fisherman’s death a “vicious incident” and the Chinese government said it would step up patrols in the waters. Tensions have eased in recent weeks as both sides have engaged in search and rescue operations after incidents involving other fishing vessels, but Taiwanese authorities say Chinese coast guard ships continue to enter restricted waters.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2021 that a small U.S. military unit had been stationed in Taiwan for at least a year, secretly training Taiwan’s armed forces to resist China’s military, which has been steadily strengthening its armed forces to seize Taiwan. ability.
China has never ruled Taiwan but claims it as part of its territory. When Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden in November last year, he said that China would eventually unify Taiwan and called on the United States to support “peaceful reunification.”
In his annual speech earlier this month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated his warning against U.S. support for Taiwan, saying China would “firmly oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism and external interference.”
China has dispatched an increasing number of warships and aircraft to regular exercises near Taiwan, which analysts say are training for a possible conflict and a test of the island’s defense capabilities. In 2022, after Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taipei, Beijing launched a drill around the island intended to simulate a potential blockade and launched missiles over Taiwan.
U.S. officials said last year the United States planned to increase the number of troops stationed in Taiwan from about 30 in 2022 to 100-200. The United States and Taiwan have been largely silent on the deployment, trying to avoid angering Beijing while working to bolster Taiwan’s defenses against a possible Chinese invasion.
Shen Mingshi, acting deputy CEO of the National Defense Security Research Institute, said that in the past, Taiwan sent special forces officers to the United States for training, but now American instructors come to Taiwan to train entire companies.
Shen Mingshi said that this makes the training more complete, which is very meaningful.
Analysts said that considering that some of Taiwan’s special forces are stationed in Kinmen, it is very suitable for training.
Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a former Pentagon official responsible for China affairs, said: “If you want to train, you should choose a place where the military is stationed, not where the military is stationed. Political expediency moved the entire command elsewhere.”
The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but maintains a strong unofficial presence there. The Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to provide Taiwan with weapons and services needed for self-defense, but the United States has always been vague about whether it will directly assist Taiwan in the event of war. U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the United States will defend Taiwan, but U.S. officials say official policy has not changed.
The U.S. military regularly sends delegations to observe Taiwan’s annual military exercises, the “Han Kuang Military Exercise.” Last year, members of the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taiwan watched a series of drills simulating air strikes and disaster response alongside senior Taiwanese government and military officials.
Taiwan Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng said Taiwan’s defense officials planned to invite U.S. defense officials to attend this year’s military exercises; the Han Kuang military exercises are usually held in July.
Informal military exchanges between Taiwan and the United States are common. A delegation from the US Naval War College visited Taipei last week and held a joint seminar with the National Defense Security Research Institute to discuss the People’s Liberation Army and its navy. The seminar was attended by national security officials and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(Correction: Taiwan Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng did not mention any outlying islands when talking about ongoing U.S. military training. An earlier version of this article incorrectly quoted Qiu Guozheng as saying that Kinmen was one of the outlying islands. This is corrected.)
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