US to Bolster Its Small Force on Taiwan in a Signal to China
Story by Peter Martin and Iain Marlow • Yesterday 9:05 PM
(Bloomberg) -- The US is increasing its small contingent of troops in Taiwan to train local forces, an American defense official said, in the latest move of support for the island democracy and willingness to raise the ire of China.
The US military presence in Taiwan would grow to between 100 and 200 troops, up from about 30 a year ago, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier Thursday.
“We don’t have a comment on specific operations, engagements or training, but I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners, a Pentagon spokesman, said in an email. The State Department later offered the same response.
The latest development is only likely to add to the strain in US-China relations, which have become frayed in the months since President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Indonesia and tried to set ties on a more stable path.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/us-to-bolster-its-small-force-on-taiwan-in-a-signal-to-china/ar-AA17Qnkb?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=df29c30c16294961aa06e435d5d042f7
