Taiwan acknowledges presence of US troops on outlying islands

Rare comments came in response to a report that American special forces trainers would be sent to Kinmen, 5km off the Chinese coast.

As tensions rise with China, ­Taiwan’s defence minister has hinted that US troops have been training the Taiwanese military on outlying islands that would be on the front lines of a conflict with its neighbour.

Chiu Kuo-cheng didn’t offer details of the US deployment, but the outlying islands include Kinmen, which sits 5km east of the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen and more than 160km from ­Taiwan’s main island.

“This exchange is for mutual observation, to identify the problems we have, figure out how to improve and to recognise their strengths so we can learn from them,” General Chiu said in response to questions about US troops on Taiwan’s outlying ­islands.

His comments marked a rare acknowledgment by Taiwan of activity by US troops on its territory.

General Chiu was responding to questions about a report in Sofrep, an online publication focusing on national security, that asserted US special forces trainers would be sent to Kinmen and other outlying islands where Taiwan’s elite forces are based.

Pentagon spokesman Marty Meiners said he wouldn’t comment on specific operations or training. “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region,” Lieutenant Colonel Meiners said.

Taiwan needs such exchanges with friendly militaries because its military “may have some blind spots or shortcomings,” General Chiu said.

Training by US special forces has focused on strengthening ­Taiwan’s rear security, in particular the prevention of enemy infiltration and sabotage, according to Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, a military-backed think tank in Taipei.

“The collaboration between Washington and Taipei is primarily focused on defence,” he said.

The outlying islands, including Kinmen, are where most of Taiwan’s amphibious soldiers, known as the frogmen, are stationed, according to analysts at INDSR. Kinmen has been the site of a series of testy maritime exchanges between China and Taiwan over the past month after the death of two Chinese fishermen whose boat capsized while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in 2021 that a small contingent of US troops had been in Taiwan for at least a year, secretly training the Taiwanese armed forces to defend against a Chinese military that has been steadily building its capability to capture Taiwan in an armed conflict.

China’s Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan but considers the self-ruled island to be part of its territory.

China has sent an increasing number of military ships and aircraft on regular drills near Taiwan, which analysts have described as efforts to train for a potential conflict and test the island’s defences. Beijing launched large-scale drills around Taiwan meant to simulate a potential blockade and fired missiles over the island in 2022 after then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

The US planned to expand its presence of troops in Taiwan to between 100 and 200 last year, up from roughly 30 in 2022, US officials have said. The US and Taiwan have been largely silent on the deployment as they attempt to avoid agitating Beijing while they work to fortify Taiwan against a potential Chinese invasion.

In the past, Taiwan had sent its special forces officers to train in the US, but now the American instructors are coming to Taiwan to train entire companies, according to Shen Ming-shih, acting deputy CEO at INDSR. “It makes the training more complete,” he said.

Analysts say Kinmen is a logical place for training exercises given some of Taiwan’s special forces are based there.

“If you’re bringing in a training element, you want to train where the troops are rather than have to take the entire command and move it somewhere else for political expediency,” said Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and formerly a Pentagon official responsible for China.

The US doesn’t have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but maintains a robust unofficial presence. The Taiwan Relations Act requires the US to supply the ­island with weapons and services it needs to defend itself, though the US has always been vague over whether it would ­directly aid Taiwan in the event of a war. Mr Biden has repeatedly said the US would do so, but sources say there is no change to official policy.

The Wall Street Journal