Taipei: The Wall Street Journal on Thursday cited unnamed officials in reporting that Washington intended to send 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan "in the coming months." The personnel will be in charge of preparing Taiwan's military for what has been referred to as a "rising threat from China."
The Journal claims that the deployment will more than quadruple US military presence on the island. 23 American service members were stationed in Taiwan as of the fall of 2022, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center of the Pentagon.
The US weapons and equipment sent to Taipei have been guided and trained by these Americans. According to unnamed US officials, the new troops will also instruct the Taiwanese in strategies "to protect against a potential Chinese offensive."
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Taiwanese troops were also present in the US, according to the Journal, and "a contingent" of them were stationed in northern Michigan to train with the Michigan National Guard. The Pentagon declined to comment other than to say that the US's commitment to Taiwan is "rock-solid."
According to Army Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, "We don't have a comment on specific operations, engagements, or training, but I would highlight that our support for, and defence relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China."
Expanded training has been planned for months, long before this month's incident with the Chinese "spy balloon," according to officials who spoke to the Journal. It is meant to "thwart a possible invasion by China." Additionally, they don't think Beijing has reached "anywhere close to a tipping point" as a result.
What is actually offensive to China is difficult to ascertain, according to one official.
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China has repeatedly urged Washington to abide by the treaties and agreements governing their relationship and warned Washington against arming Taiwan. As part of its One-China policy, the US switched from recognising Taipei as the "Republic of China" to Beijing in 1978.
China and the US have had issues with Taiwan ever since the Communists defeated the Kuomintang in the country's civil war in 1949. The island, which had been under Japanese rule for 50 years, was freed in 1945 with assistance from the Americans.
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Taiwan was claimed by the People's Republic of China for more than 200 years before it was given to Japan as a war prize in 1895. Beijing hopes to peacefully reunite what it refers to as a renegade island with the mainland.