The existing tense relations between the United States and China in various fields, such as cyber-attacks, trade, the situation in Hong Kong or the alleged abuse of Uyghurs in China’s Xianjiang region, have worsened further in recent days.
Beijing’s claims over Taiwan have been the latest open front. Although in practice it is an independent state, China considers the island as another province under its dominion due to its close historical ties and the sovereignty it has had over the territory, and has assured that it will control the area even through the use of force if necessary.
Fearing an invasion, Taiwanese authorities have found support in the United States, which has trained troops on Taiwan for at least a year amid tensions and concerns about China, a U.S. official has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal.
More than a dozen U.S. service members, including special forces, moved to Taiwan for these trainings under orders from former President Donald Trump’s administration, although no information has been released so far.
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— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) October 8, 2021
Specifically, U.S. special operations and support troops are training small units of Taiwanese ground forces, while a contingent of Marines is supporting the training of local maritime forces.
This fact is made known in the midst of the recent incursions of almost 150 Chinese fighter planes into Taiwanese airspace during the first four days of October in what has been seen by Beijing as a demonstration of “force”, but which has been harshly condemned by the international community.
In addition, the United States and Taiwan’s allies such as Japan and the United Kingdom have carried out naval drills in nearby waters, which has further increased existing tensions and produced some incidents.
In one such drill, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine struck an unidentified object in the South China Sea, injuring more than a dozen people.
The event took place in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region last Saturday, October 2, although the U.S. Pacific Fleet did not report the incident until Thursday, assuring that the submarine, the USS Connecticut, “remains in a safe and stable condition”
In response, Washington has on numerous occasions reiterated its “support” for a peaceful resolution in the Taiwan Strait and urged Beijing to reduce its activities and tensions in the area.
-Thailand News (TN)
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