Taiwan confirms presence of US Special Forces on outer islands

Taiwan has confirmed the presence of US Army Special Forces (SF), known as the “Green Berets”, on outer islands to provide training for the troops of the self-ruled island.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed on Friday American media reports that US Army Green Berets are permanently stationed in amphibious command centers in Kinmen and Penghu islands.

Taiwan’s military “may have some blind spots and shortcomings and therefore it is important to communicate with others who are friendly to us, whether they are teams, groups, or countries,” he said, after presenting a report on Chinese military activities at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.

Chiu added that these military exchanges involve mutual observation, learning strengths, and improving weaknesses, SET News, a 24-hour news channel of the Sanlih E-Television in Taiwan, reported.

He also described the exchanges as taking place on a “regular basis.”

China has sovereignty over Taiwan, and under the “One China” policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty. The US, too, recognizes the Chinese sovereignty over the island but has long courted Taipei in an attempt to unnerve Beijing.

Washington, which backs Taiwan’s secessionist president, also infuriates Beijing by selling weapons to the self-governed island in violation of its official policy. This is while Beijing has time and again warned against any official exchanges between Washington and Taipei, including the provision of military assistance to the island.

As Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, the US sells arms to Taipei under the terms of the so-called Taiwan Relations Act of 2022, and there is bipartisan support for providing the island with weapons.

China committed to Taiwan peaceful reunification, but will use forces if necessary: Xi

China

On Saturday, Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement that it had warned off four Chinese coast guard ships that had sailed in the island’s restricted waters in the vicinity of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands near China for two consecutive days.

The statement added that Chinese boats stayed just over an hour after Taiwanese authorities requested them to leave.

“The move has seriously impacted traffic and safety. To avoid triggering naval incidents we urge them to stop such behaviors,” it further said.

The developments come as China has increased military activities near Taiwan in recent years in what Taipei considers as almost daily incursions into its air defense identification zones, as tensions simmer across the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Beijing has time and again said it will use force, if necessary, to add Taiwan to China’s mainland. President Xi Jinping has been articulate about that matter. 

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