It is revealed that America is training Taiwan's military to fight against China

Taiwan has officially acknowledged that the United States has secretly provided military training to its troops for a long time. Although statements made by former US President Donald Trump indicated some risk in the relationship between the two countries, this information has been made public with the aim of showcasing the strong relationship between Washington and Taipei against China.

Commenting on this, Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated that the military cooperation with the United States is much deeper than what the general public perceives. He explained that although billions of dollars worth of weapons have been provided for Taiwan's defense in accordance with American law, the public only sees the sale of these weapons. However, Taiwan has been able to gain a lot of practical war experience through various military exchange programs. Nevertheless, the minister further emphasized that Taiwan's defense plans do not include direct intervention by US forces if a conflict with China were to arise in the future. These secret training exercises had not been publicized until now because they could provoke China, given that Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has warned it would seize it by force if necessary.

Although the Pentagon and the US Pacific Command refrained from commenting on these military training exercises, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which functions as the de facto US embassy in Taipei, recently released a photo online showing coast guard vessels from both countries sailing together. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund, points out that the Taiwanese government is keen to further publicize this cooperation. Furthermore, Minister Kuan Bi-ling of Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council also noted on her Facebook account that these maritime activities represent an important new step reflecting America's commitment to maintaining peace and security in the Western Pacific region.

It is noteworthy that cooperation between the two countries is being openly declared at a time when pressure from China is increasing daily. In May and June, 85 sightings of Chinese coast guard vessels near Taiwan were reported, a 90% increase compared to the same period last year. Recently, it was also reported that two Chinese ships were constantly patrolling the waters east of Taiwan. Furthermore, David Sacks, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations for Asian Studies, points out that former President Donald Trump's statement after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, that he did not want to go 9500 miles to fight a war, has raised serious doubts among Taiwanese citizens regarding the credibility and defense commitments of the United States. According to him, despite ongoing discussions to de-escalate relations between Washington and Beijing, China's pressure on Taiwan has further intensified since the meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping.