Wall Street Journal: US military secretly trained Taiwan's army to counter Chinese invasion

US military secretly trained Taiwan's army to counter Chinese invasion

Taiwanese soldiers take part in Han Kuang military drill simulating the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, in 

The American Wall Street Journal reported that "US military personnel have secretly trained the Taiwanese army, for at least a year, to bolster the island's defenses against any possible Chinese invasion."

The newspaper added, quoting undisclosed US official sources, that 20 US special forces soldiers and a unit of marines trained small units of the Taiwanese army and navy, and the US Department of Defense did not deny the news.

"I have no comment on specific operations, deployments, or training, but I would like to stress that our support for Taiwan and our defense relationship are in line with the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China," Pentagon spokesman John Supley said.

"We call on Beijing to honor its commitment to peacefully resolving its differences with Taiwan," he added.

The Wall Street Journal report confirms the information published by the Taiwanese press in November, citing the island's naval command, about the arrival of marines and special forces to train the Taiwanese army in amphibious operations.

At the time, the Taiwanese and US authorities denied these reports, only referring to the existence of military cooperation.

A video released by the US military last year showed US soldiers participating alongside other Taiwanese in exercises on the island called Balance Tamper.

While China considers the island of 23 million people part of its territory and will reclaim it by force if necessary, the United States has increased arms sales to Taiwan in recent years.

China recently made several incursions into Taiwan's air defense zone, prompting Washington to express its "grave concern" over Beijing's "provocation."

"The air incursions are destabilizing and undermining regional peace and security," State Department spokesman Ned Price said Sunday.

"We urge Beijing to stop its military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion on Taiwan," he added, stressing Washington's firm commitment alongside its ally.