The US plans to deploy between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan in the coming months, which could quadruple the US presence on the island, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The move would mark the most significant deployment of US military forces to Taiwan in decades and risks provoking China. The US has sent military trainers to Taiwan since severing diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979, but the deployments were much smaller. The Journal report said the US presence in Taiwan consisted of about 30 troops last year.
The purpose of the deployment would be to train Taiwan’s military on US weapons and to prepare for a future conflict with China. US special operations forces and Marines have been sent to Taiwan for this purpose before, and the US National Guard recently began training Taiwanese troops as well, both in the United States and in Taiwan.
The small US military presence in Taiwan was always an open secret but was never officially confirmed until 2021 when President Tsai Ing-wen became the first Taiwanese leader to acknowledge US troops were on the island since 1979.
Also on Thursday, The South China Morning Post reported that Taiwan is planning to send at least 500 troops to the US for military training, a significantly higher number than Taipei has sent in the past.
A report from Taiwan’s Central News Agency said: “This marks the first time troops at battalion level, typically consisting of around 500 soldiers, will travel to the US for training — rather than platoon (25-60 troops) or company (80-150) level as in the past.”
The reports come after US and Taiwanese officials held talks on diplomatic and security ties in Washington DC. Such talks are usually kept private, but they were publicized to the media. A source told Central News Agency that the public nature of these new military exchanges is intentional.
“Usually, plans like this would remain hush-hush … to prevent drawing the ire of the Chinese communists,” the source said. “But with US-Taiwan relations becoming more solid and US-China rivalry intensifying, sometimes exposure of these activities is done intentionally to show the close cooperation and partnership between the US and Taiwan.”
One US official told the Journal that they were concerned about at what point US military support for Taiwan could provoke China. “One of the difficult things to determine is what really is objectionable to China,” the official said. “We don’t think at the levels that we’re engaged in and are likely to remain engaged in the near future that we are anywhere close to a tipping point for China.”
Chinese officials have explicitly warned in recent years that increasing US support for what they call Taiwanese “independence forces” could lead to war. China demonstrated its seriousness about the issue when it launched its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan last August in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting the island, which Beijing viewed as a challenge to the one-China policy.
China also launched major military drills in response to President Biden signing the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which had amendments calling for more US-Taiwan military cooperation and included unprecedented military aid for the island. Even though these steps have put more military pressure on Taiwan, the US congressional visits and increased military support show no sign of slowing down.
A despicable government whose pushers believe they are entitled to run amuck over everyone on the planet. Ugliest administration I’ve ever encountered.
Think about it, how else would this jerkoff have said it? It’s pure Joe Biden – uncut.
At least the democrats finally got their war party back again. A lot of people were too young or never around in the 20th century to realize this.
“”Ugliest administration I’ve ever encountered.””
really? bush sr, clinton & then bush jr literally laid waste to 3/4 of the middle east in 20 years time. not to mention Sr’s assassination of john lennon and attempted assassination of reagan, and Jr & assoc’s patriot act. what would biden say? = “c’mon man!”
Biden was on board supporting all the policies.
Biden now has the benefit of hindsight, but he learned nothing.
Biden is ugly, he kicks people when they are down.
See the savage sanctions against Afghanistan after the disastrous US retreat in 2021.
Biden just really wants to get us into a war over Taiwan doesn’t he? Poke poke poke poke the China bear. One of these pokes the bear will punch back….
Why not put a trip wire at Taiwan that blows up Los Angeles if American military crosses it…?????
That would be the Chinese red line Biden better not cross.
When all is said and done, I think Taiwan will reunite with China because China has far more to offer, in terms of trade and cultural heritage, than the US.
One of the obvious reasons that so many Americans identify with Ukrainians is that Ukrainians look like us. If their skin was brown, or if their eyes were not round, Biden would not have the support he has for this war. I assume that prejudice works both ways.
In time China and Taiwan will reunite just like East and West Germany and N. and S. Vietnam, and North and South Korea could unite again. The US was the divider in each case.
It was a golden opportunity for more peace in Europe when Germany was reunited, but the USA was opposed to peace in Europe unless they were able to continue their control of the continent expanding to include Russia.
That is why we are at war against Russia in Ukraine.
The people in HongKong did not wan’t to reunite.People fled from Eastern Europe to the West-people want to be FREE.
The elite, people with business interests, are not the people. A fool who believes otherwise.
They already helped Ukrainian people to destroy their country. Now they are helping Taiwan people to achieve the same.
The US lost 55,000 troops in Viet Nam and destroyed a country that would have united under Ho Chi Min. Money and lives pissed away.Same deal when punishing Iraq for 911,something done by the Saudis. More money and the destruction of a culture 200o years old for oil. Afganistan,more of the same except the Taliban was the enemy. Who is running Afganistan now? A pattern begins to emerge.Now we are pouring resourcesinto Ukraine another place that will come to no good end except making Trillions for the Military Corporations and the Oil industry. And now we hear the beginning of an action against China which certainly is a simple matter. Iran is next mostly by Israel but we certainly will be there holding their coat so to speak. My point is when and where does it stop?When or ever is the US Government going to stop being the cop of the world as well as the largest purveyer of death and destruction the world has ever seen? If they do not cut this nonsence out and become caring citizens of the people and the Planet the end is nigh.
American governments claim to be the cops, they are not, they are the most brutal MAFIA killers, they never build, they always destroy. They torture people and brutally starve pregnant women and children and everyone else to death with savage illegal economic sanctions against nations which never did anything to Americans. Their brutality and greed is one of a kind. They will wage war demanding unconditional surrender to annihilate nations, Versailles is an example and the results of it, it created Hitler.
Why does Biden want UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER from Russia, what does he expect from a regime change and the destruction of Russia? He is a very sadistic war criminal as it is. Why destroy Ukraine, Europe and Russia just to kill young men? What do people like Biden, Nuland, Blinken, Sullivan, and the other neocons expect to gain?
Everyone of them is a sadistic criminal.
KILLING IS MY BUSINESS. PEACE SELLS, BUT WHO’S BUYING?
saudis did not do 9/11 although that was the official fairytale.
9/11 was an obvious inside job as evidenced by the unheard of manner in which the twin towers were demolished and the regular manner in which WTC 7 was demolished.
True, it took me a long time to reach that conclusion.
Consider this. The real problem is that Taiwan makes the most complex powerful microchips on the planet. PERIOD. It’s a lot further from our shores than Chinas, which puts us at a huge disadvantage.
CHINA is the one,along with Russia, chose to invest in space and upper stratoshere military technology and develop hypersonic missiles, in a multipolar world that was at peace for 70 years.
The arms race, is going to now be technology based in the upper atmosphere, which was largely ungoverned in previous arms treaties. Until we can produce the best chips on the planet at home, Taiwan is going to be a vital interest to our security.
I am not for war, but I can understand, in context, why it is necessary to deter China from invading and make sure they can defend an attack. China has been aggressive, both in terms of expansion, imperialism, and arms under Jinpin.
So stop being the pot that calls the kettle black.
China will not “invade” Taiwan, which is part of China and recognised as such all over the world including the USA. The people in Taiwan are not asking the USA to cause their destruction, which will happen if the USA keeps up its constant interference JUST for greed and domination, not for safety or happiness of Taiwan.
Oh I see, so your buddy Xi built hypersonic missiles and first strike capabilities as we were trying to build a joint open world market, and we are the ones sewing destruction by arming Taiwan. I don’t want war, but I don’t want to see my own economy get choked off and witness the decline of my country either. Which you seem to advocate if you defend their aggressive actions.
You need to get off the CNN, …., hypodermic.
i don’t watch CNN pal, I despise CNN other than Fareed Zacharia. You need to get real and understand bankers run the world not Joe Biden.
And the ironic twist is that it was the nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-Shek who insisted that Taiwan and Mainland China were one nation (whose proper ruler was Chiang Kai-Shek). Perhaps that is why we don’t hear a lot of voices from Taiwan claiming that the territory of the Republic of China is distinct from the territory of the People’s Republic of China.
As John Mearsheimer has made clear, this is a Great Powers struggle between the US and China. The US is the largest empire in modern history and it will not go down without a struggle. But it will go down.
Great powers my arsch. This is just more of the same War War War BS we’re handed by the same people who never got past schoolyard fights to see who could crawl to the top of the pig pile.
People wan;t to be free-they don;t want to live under a totalitarean government.
i wonder why the most complex powerful microchips on the planet are not being made right here in the USA instead of way over there in our “enemy” back yard. could it have something to do with uncle sam business-as-usual kickbacks and the total lack of any EPA plus cheap labor of taiwan?
we americans have chosen the “leaders” who have made the bed that we now have to lie in.
Well they are trying, but the fact is the Taiwanese deserve some credit for mastering the process. I’d guess if anything lax labor laws were a factor. Certainly the environment would have been a factor.
BS
This is just grandstanding on the part of the US, to try to provoke China into doing something stupid. China won’t fall for it. What are 200 American troops going to do? Nothing.
They may be needed in case of regime change.
Hopefully that regime change will amount to throwing the DPP out of power and those 200 American troops will be sent where they belong, which is back home in the USA.
Why is Biden unablle to provide the nation a coherent explanation of his goals in China. What is causing this, why is the Taiwan and Chinese issue even of any concern to the USA? What does he want to accomplish by provoking China and then claim China attacked the US, or what? The USA does not even share a border with China, so why is he provoking another war when he could not even handle the withdrawal of troops in little Afghanistan and does not dare to put boots on the ground in Ukraine? Talking about insanity, to scramble jets with $400 000 sidewinder missiles to shoot down some $20 weather balloons fits in the picture. What a stupid administration that is, unbelievable, and there is more.
China is provoking the US,by its intent to grab Formosa.The people of Formosa should be allowed self determination.China has a huge territory to rule and a very powerful and growing economy as ours dies-they can be the number 1 power without war.
“very powerful and growing economy as ours dies” YOU said it and I wholly agree. That is the real reason, Formosa means nothing to us, they are not invading the USA, the US wants to dictate in the interest of American big money, the oligarchs who own the USA.
The main thing is to ensure there is no chance for peace and cooperation. Evil china wants something the USA never agrees to- cooperation and win-win. Ask all over the world what the people want. It is not the USA bases and invasions.
That is why the fiasco of USA hegemony must end. Anything is better than never ending wars to protect the USA empire.
China is going to have to make a move if it wants to keep Taiwan out of the clutches of the US , first it will be a few troops then hundreds / thousands of advisers, then US Military bases , then missile installation`s , , Vietnam all over again.
China does support Russia, they share the same interests.
Hopefully.China will realize that they are beating us economically anyway, and war will be a loose loose situation.They need our markets to keep their masses employed.
We need to get Biden a toga.
Labeling the US government as the “worlds policeman” is an insult to honest and trustworthy police personal everywhere. The US is more like a rogue cop who ignores all the rules, stirring up trouble, cracking a few skulls when ever he sees fit. A little like those thugs who overthrew the Legal Ukraine government not to many years ago.