Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen sees the conflict with China as a steadily growing threat to her country. The threat from China “is increasing every day,” Tsai said in a CNN interview. She trusts that the US will stand by Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
At the same time, Tsai called on democratic partners in the region to support the island republic. “If authoritarian regimes show expansionist tendencies, democratic countries should band together to confront them. Taiwan is at the forefront.”
Last week, US President Joe Biden promised more clearly than his predecessors that the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China. China reacted indignantly and accused the US of meddling in internal affairs.
The communist leadership in Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. The US has committed itself to Taiwan’s defense capability – which so far has mainly meant arms deliveries. The question of military assistance in the event of an attack was deliberately left open because Beijing saw it as a violation of its “one-China doctrine”. With this US “strategic ambiguity”, Beijing should be left in the dark about what the US would do in the event of war.
Meanwhile, Tsai Ing-wen confirmed yesterday that a small number of US soldiers are currently on the island to train the soldiers there. “We have a wide range of collaborations with the US aimed at increasing our defense capabilities.” When asked how many US soldiers were deployed in Taiwan, she replied that there were not as many as had been thought.
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said there had been frequent military exchanges between the US and Taiwan for a long time. Any topic can be addressed. Several media had already reported on the training. President Tsai’s confirmation could worsen US-China relations.
Beijing “strictly” opposed military cooperation and official contacts between Taiwan and the US on Thursday. “The US should not underestimate the strong determination of the Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Foreign Office spokesman Wang Wenbin.
