2 yıl önce

Taiwan President Tsai confirms small US troop training presence

The confirmation comes as China continues to increase military pressure on Taiwan, including repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwanese air defence zone.

AP

President Tsai Ing-wen comments are the first time a Taiwanese leader has publicly made such an admission since 1979.

Taiwan has confirmed a small number of US troops are present on the island to help with training.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's comments to CNN during an interview aired on Thursday are the first time a Taiwanese leader has publicly made such an admission since the last US garrison left in 1979 when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Asked how many US troops were in Taiwan, Tsai replied "not as many as people thought".

"We have a wide range of cooperation with the US aiming at increasing our defence capability," she said.

When asked if she was confident that the United States would help defend Taiwan if necessary against China, Tsai replied: "I do have faith."

The presence of US troops was first confirmed to AFP news agency and other media by a Pentagon official earlier this month.

The confirmation comes as China is sharply increasing military pressure on Taiwan, including repeated missions by Chinese warplanes in Taiwan's air defence identification zone.

'Reduce misunderstanding'

Speaking to lawmakers on Thursday, Taiwan's defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said US and Taiwanese troops have long had contacts with each other.

"We have personnel exchanges and they (US soldiers) would be here for military cooperation, but this is different, according to my definition, from having 'troops stationed' here," Chiu said.

During the CNN interview, President Tsai described Taiwan as a regional "beacon" of democracy that is facing down a giant authoritarian neighbour as she warned that the threat from Beijing is growing "every day".

Tsai reiterated her offer of talks with Xi to "reduce misunderstanding" and address the differences in their political systems- something Beijing has so far rebuffed.

China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed.

Beijing's sabre-rattling has ramped up in recent years, exacerbating fears the island of 23 million people could become a major global flashpoint.

SOURCE: AFP