Does Taiwan’s caution on ‘military training’ show US support has limits?
- Reports that American marines helped train their Taiwanese counterparts are dismissed by both parties
- Taipei’s request that media stop the ‘inaccurate’ reports may indicate sensitivity in Washington over making such statements
But both the United States and the island were quick to distance themselves from reports of the cooperation, raising speculation that they were concerned such help might complicate tense cross-strait relations.
Uncertainty grew as, days after Taiwan said members of the American armed forces were on the self-ruled island, the US defence department called descriptions of the mission “inaccurate” – a word echoed on Thursday by Taiwan’s defence ministry.
The confusion began after the Taiwanese navy command, in a rare move, acknowledged on Monday that US forces were in Taiwan on an exchange mission.
“In order to maintain regional peace and stability, Taiwan and the US are engaging in military and security cooperation and exchanges which are proceeding normally,” it said, responding to local news reports that the US Marine Raiders were on a month-long mission in Taiwan to train local marines.
The command declined to reveal the nature of the activities in which the US forces were cooperating with their Taiwanese counterparts.
Taiwan’s United Daily News, followed by other media outlets, reported that the US Marine Raiders were in Taiwan for four weeks from Monday to help train Taiwanese marines in skills including assault boat and speedboat infiltration operations, at Tsoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.
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