A big confession from the president of Taiwan: American soldiers are already stationed on the island

He said in an interview that we are working intensively with the United States to increase our defense capabilities Kaj Jing Fen, who, however, did not disclose the number of American soldiers stationed in Taiwan, said only:

Less than people think.

The president also reaffirmed his belief in the defense of democracy and freedom in Taiwan and his country It was called an independent country. confirmed: He is sure that the United States will have to defend Taiwan if it is attacked by China.

qiu kou ring Taiwan’s defense minister said only on the announcement that Taiwan-US cooperation is old and intense. The prime minister also stressed that Taiwan has a duty to defend itself and cannot be completely relied on to help others.

Although the Taiwanese press and Reuters news agency, among others, had earlier reported that US soldiers were stationed on the island,

Analysts fear that the official confirmation of this by Taipei will further deepen the differences between Taiwan and China.

Recently, China has intensified its military activities in the region. Chinese fighter planes repeatedly violated Taiwan’s airspaceAccording to a summary in international newspapers, more than 150 Chinese aircraft have flown into the airspace since October 1. In addition to circumventing Beijing’s political means, he has previously conducted military exercises around the island as leverage, and has never ruled out the possibility of joining forces.

Although the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is the largest supplier of arms to the island and regularly sends warships to the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate the implementation of the principle of freedom of navigation.

Regarding the possible presence of US forces in Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had already indicated in October: Beijing expects the United States to suspend all military cooperation with Taiwan and halt arms sales as well.

Taiwan, which has had its own political leadership since 1949, is considered by Beijing as a breakaway province from China. After years of rapprochement, their relationship turned frosty again in 2016 when independence chief Kag Jing Fen became president of Taiwan, committed to maintaining the status quo and enhancing the island’s self-defense capabilities.

Cover image source: Getty Images