WASHINGTON (The Hill) - U.S. forces have been secretly training Taiwan’s military forces in the country for at least a year amid concerns of Chinese aggression toward the self-ruled island, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Roughly two dozen members of U.S. special operations and support troops are training small units of Taiwanese ground forces, while a contingent of the U.S. Marines is helping local maritime forces with small-boat training, U.S. officials told the Journal.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
On Wednesday, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said China might mount a full-scale invasion of the island nation by 2025.
China in recent days sent almost 150 military aircraft close to Taiwan while U.S. and other allied forces conducted drills in the South China Sea.
US. .President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement, which ensures a peacefully-determined future for Taiwan in exchange for U.S. recognition of Beijing as the official Chinese government.
In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry pressed the United States to stick to prior agreements and to stop its military aid to Taiwan, noting that “China will take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”