As tensions rise with China, Taiwan’s defense minister has hinted that U.S. troops have been training the Taiwanese military on outlying islands that would be on the front lines of a conflict with its neighbor.
The defense minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, didn’t offer details of the U.S. deployment, but the outlying islands include Kinmen, which sits 3 miles east of the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen and more than 100 miles from Taiwan’s main island.
“This exchange is for mutual observation, to identify the problems we have, figure out how to improve and to recognize their strengths so we can learn from them,” Chiu said Thursday in response to questions about U.S. troops on Taiwan’s outlying islands.
His comments marked a rare acknowledgment by Taiwan of activity by American troops on its territory.
Chiu was responding to questions about a report in Sofrep, an online publication focusing on national security, that asserted U.S. Special Forces trainers would be sent to Kinmen and other outlying islands where Taiwan’s elite forces are based.
Lt. Col. Marty Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, said he wouldn’t comment on specific operations or training.
Read more here from The Wall Street Journal.
